


Earl Gray And Wild Turkey

by orphan_account



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Divorce, Explicit Language, Extramarital Affairs, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-19 02:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 32,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15500532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Desdemona Humphries leads a rather unspectacular life. She's a great daughter, grand-daughter, and aunt. She helps her brother coach little league and helps her sister bake for the school bake sales, in between running a bed and breakfast with her father and grandmother and writing fan-fiction as a hobby. She has everything she wants out of life, everything except a man and family of her own, although she will tell you that she doesn't have time for either. What happens when life starts to imitate art? Reality starts to blur into fantasy when the object of her fangirl affection becomes a very real person to her.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As always, I own nothing to do with Tom Hiddleston or any other celebrity mentioned herein. I only own my own original characters and story. I give no one permission to duplicate or translate this story, in part or in whole.





	1. Misquoting Shakespeare

"It's about time you got home! I thought Hester was going to keep you all day."

Desi just grinned at her grandmother as she made her way toward the stove. At eighty-eight, Gran was still spry and smart-mouthed, and drove Desi's poor father, her son, to distraction daily. She gave Gran a smacking kiss on the cheek as she handed her a bowl and a spoon. She stirred the beef stew before ladling some of the steaming concoction into her bowl. She heard her phone beep but ignored it as she set her bowl down on the kitchen table and made her way to the corner cabinet for the Wild Turkey. Desi didn't speak until she had her drink and food in front of her, dipping a piece of biscuit into the stew and sighing with satisfaction.

"It took a little longer than we first thought, but it's difficult baking 10 dozen brownies while chasing a two-year-old around."

Gran clucked her tongue in disapproval. "You should have brought her over here. I would have watched the little hellion." Desi chuckled as she shook a finger in her general direction. "You're daddy went on to bed, but wanted me to tell you that he needs you to work on the plumbing in Room Three tomorrow, first thing."

Desi sighed and nodded her head. "That's fine. I'm free until tomorrow evening, although I would like to get some writing in sometime in the near future."

Gran winked at her as she reached over and grabbed her glass, taking a healthy swallow before speaking. "Well, you may enjoy it, but this place pays the bills, young lady, and we have those convention people coming this weekend."

She blew out an irritated breath, but she knew she was right. "I'll have the plumbing fixed before the game tomorrow evening, I promise."

Gran just nodded and stood up. "See that you do. I'm going to bed. Put your dishes in the dishwasher for me and I'll run it in the morning." 

After receiving a kiss on the forehead, Desi watched the old woman slowly make her way out of the room. She sat in the silence of the old kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time today, she was alone, and it felt pretty good. She took her time eating, then had another glass of bourbon before cleaning up after herself. 

She double checked to make sure the doors were locked and all the lights were out before making her way to her little apartment in the attic. This was Desi's personal space and it reflected her personality. She smiled as she took in the dark red walls and white curtains at the windows, the patchwork quilt was strewn across her unmade bed, her clothes folded neatly on the old chair in the corner. She turned her laptop on where it sat on her cluttered desk before she made her way to the ensuite to quickly clean up before donning her nightshirt, which was just one of her dad's old, worn out flannel shirts.

After changing, she sat down at her desk and saw that she had a few emails from Wattpad, the site she wrote on. She clicked on the first one, informing her of a new follower, Bard81, and Desi gave a small grin. She was always happy when people liked her writing enough to follow her. Her followers had grown slowly but steadily, and it always made her happy. The next email was a comment from the same Bard81, on one of her older stories. She clicked on the link and it took her to the writing site, where she saw several notifications telling her that the same person had voted on a lot of her writing. She frowned when she saw the comment the person left:

I have been enjoying reading your works. I have especially enjoyed this story, but I felt the need to tell you that you misquoted the line from Shakespeare, "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness cast upon them." It's wrong. It should be "thrust upon them", not cast. Despite that, this is a fantastic tale.

Desi bit her lip as she read over what the person had written, mentally smacking herself in the head. Now that it was pointed out, it was glaringly obvious. She shook her head and grinned ruefully at herself. She was probably tired when she wrote it. She quickly typed out a response before she gave herself time to think about it.

Thank you so much for the follow and the votes. They are greatly appreciated. Also, thank you for pointing out that mistake. I honestly didn't see it until I looked through your eyes. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

It seemed like as soon as Desi replied, so did the other person, meaning, of course, that they were online as well.

I have no doubt I will. Your grasp of Tom's personality is amazing. One would think that you know him personally ;)

She snickered out loud as she typed her reply, shaking her head at the thought of such a thing.

Don't we all wish that were the case? Lol, I'm afraid anything I write comes from my imagination and no real-world knowledge of the man, but you flatter me.

She looked at the clock on her bedside table and grimaced when she see how late it had gotten. If she planned on working on the plumbing issues tomorrow, she needed to get to bed now. She shut her laptop and turned off the lights before snuggling down under her quilt.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Des! Where are you?" 

Desi rolled her eyes as she heard her brother Scott calling her name through the upstairs hall, almost hitting her head on the door of the sink as she crawled out from under it with a pipe wrench in her hand. He grinned as he came through the door of the bathroom, holding out a hand to pull her to her feet.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I need to know if you're going to be available for the game tonight. I really need you, Des."

She rolled her eyes again and sighed. "I told you I would. I got the pipe fixed for dad, but now I have to run into town and get the paint for 4 and 5. I'll be there, I promise."

Scott hugged her to him, giving her a noogie in the process, which made her kick him in the shin. She rubbed her head as he laughed. "You're such a short thing, Des. I wonder why you never grew?"

She snorted as she smacked him on the arm. "I'm tall enough, thanks. Not all of us can be gigantic."

She laughed at him as he said his goodbyes and she followed him outside to her old Jeep parked under the shade tree. Desi might be the oldest of the family, but because of her short stature, everyone treated her like the baby. She rolled the windows down and let the radio blare as she drove down the back roads of town, mentally adding and taking things away from her to-do list, thoughts of the story she was working on firmly in the very back of her mind until she could find time to get around to it.


	2. Foul Balls And Ballet Slippers

"Aunt Desi missed my winning run."

Desi rolled her eyes at her nephew as Gran gave her a look. She ignored her as she got the ice cream out of the freezer, listening to her father snicker at her actions.

"Now, Tyler, it's not your aunt's fault."

Desi slammed the freezer shut and gave her dad a dirty look as Scott chortled. "That's right! It's not my fault that I got thrown out of the game before Ty got up to bat."

Scott held a hand up. "Well, sis, that's what happens when you accuse the umpire of cheating."

She snorted as she got bowls down out of the cabinet. "Oh please. He's just mad because I wouldn't go on a second date with him."

Gran snickered as she handed Desi spoons and started dishing up the ice cream. "Elmer Watkins was always a bully, even when you were in school." She pointed a finger at she as she glared at her son. "You remember! He used to pull her pigtails and lock her in the science lab, and you never did anything! Now, look where we are. Desdemona did a nice thing going out with that blowhard once. No normal person would expect her to do it twice."

Desi's father lifted a brow and huffed in irritation. "And just how is it my fault that Elmer has a bad attitude and the hots for my daughter?"

Scott just shook his head as he sat down at the table beside his son, helping himself to the toppings set out. "I just don't know what you're waiting on, Des. I mean, you're not getting any younger, and Elmer isn't that bad, you know. He's running for city councilman next term. He's become an upstanding citizen."

Desi snorted again as she sat down beside dad. "Well, I'm not interested in Elmer in any way." She threw her snap-back emblazoned with "Hooper Tigers" across the front on the counter and sighed. "I don't know what I'm waiting for either, but I'll know it when I see it, and I can assure you that it is NOT Elmer Watkins."

Her brother pointed his spoon at her. "He's not the only guy in town. You've managed to turn down or run off every one of them, and it's getting ridiculous. You're a good-looking woman, but that won't always be the case. You better find someone now, before those looks start fading."

Desi kicked her brother hard under the table as her nephew laughed uproariously at his father's howl of pain. "I'll thank you not to talk about my looks. I know I'm getting older. I don't need you to remind me, Scott!"

He winced when he realized what an ass he sounded like. "I'm sorry, Des. You know I don't mean it. I just want to see you settled down like me and Hester are."

She sighed and shook her head as she swirled her spoon around the rapidly melting ice cream in her bowl. "I know you mean well, but maybe I'm just not meant for that. You and Hes are doing well, and that makes me so proud. I think perhaps I'm just meant to do what I'm doing."

Scott lifted a brow in disbelief. "What is that, Des? Playing handyman for dad and writing your little stories about people that you're never going to meet? I just want more for you, sis." 

Their father cleared his throat as he gave his son a dirty look. "Scott, I think that's quite enough now. We all get your point, son." He looked at Desi and gave her a small smile. "You know, I was at the community college a couple days ago, and I noticed that they have a creative writing class. Maybe you should sign up for that."

Desi gave a rather unladylike snort as she grinned at him. "And when would I do that? My days are pretty booked now, I don't think I could squeeze out any more time."

Before he could answer, the front door slammed and soon Carlie, Hester's ten-year-old, came running into the kitchen ahead of her harried-looking mother who was also toting two-year-old Pru in her arms. Desi noticed that Carlie was dressed in her pink tutu and tights and groaned inwardly. She would much rather be at the ball fields than the ballet studio.

Hes looked at her and motioned for her to take the baby. "Thank God, you're here. I was afraid I was going to have to track you down all over town."

Desi lifted a brow as she bounced Pru on her lap and moved things out of her reach. "I told you that I would take her. I didn't forget, you know. We were just celebrating Tyler's win at softball today."

Hester gave Tyler a big smile and a high five before turning back to Desi. "I know you wouldn't forget, but I'm just so stressed right now."

Desi looked around the room, just now noticing that she was missing the five-year-old, Kevin. "Where's Kev?"

"He's with Brad. They are running some errands while I drop Carlie off to you and go to the grocery."

Desi just nodded and grinned before handing Pru back to her mother and standing up to grab her handbag from the kitchen counter. She held out a hand to Carlie and smiled with a yawn. "Ok, girlfriend, let's go make Baryshnikov proud."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three hours later, Desi was finally able to fall across her bed. She noticed that she had a notification alert from Wattpad and opened the app on her phone. She frowned thoughtfully when she saw that she had a private message from Bard81. 

I was wondering when you would be updating your story. I find myself wondering what happens next, and hope that you'll fulfill my curiosity soon.

Her frown turned to a grin as she tapped out a reply.

I'm sorry I've kept you waiting for the next update, but life has firmly planted itself in the way. I will be working on it soon, I promise.

Desi didn't have to wait long for a reply.

I'm so sorry. I don't mean to frustrate you in any way. I know how life can get. I do hope nothing is wrong.

She shook her head, hurriedly replying.

No, no, nothing like that, but thank you for your concern. Today was mostly softball games and ballet lessons.

So, you have children then? A family must make writing a challenge.

She chuckled to herself as she typed an answer.

Nieces and nephews, actually. I don't have children of my own.

She didn't get a reply for the longest time, and she started to doze off when her phone beeped again.

I'm sure your husband keeps you busy.

Desi frowned to herself as she answered back, not sure at this point what was going on. She would have sworn before that Bard81 was a woman, mostly because all of her followers were, but now she wasn't so sure because this sounded close to flirting. At the very least, they were fishing for information.

I don't have a husband either.

The next message confused her even further, but she decided to let it go until she'd had some sleep. It would probably sound much more innocent in the light of morning.

No husband or children? My, that is interesting.


	3. Christmas Cookies And Wishful Thinking

Six Months Later

"That rat bastard!"

Desi whipped her head around as Hester came striding into the kitchen, looking ready to commit murder. Gran was just taking a tray of cookies out of the oven as Bing Crosby sang about white Christmases in the background. 

"What's wrong with you? And where are the kids? They're supposed to help decorate these cookies."

Hester plopped down at the kitchen table, putting her head in her hands as she started to sob. Desi ran over to her and fell to her knees beside her chair, wrapping her arms around her sister. She felt her stomach drop at the gut-wrenching sobs coming from her baby sister. Hester was prone to dramatics, but never this level.

"He... he left me! He left me for a... a... a waitress at the diner!"

Desi looked over her shoulder at Gran as she calmly wiped her hands on her apron and came over to the two younger women, shaking her head at Desi. She could feel the rage building inside herself as she took Hester's hands away from her face and made her look at her. 

"Hes, look at me now! I want you to calm down and explain everything, but first I need to know where the kids are."

Gran took the chair across from Hes and held her hands in her own as Desi rested her chin on her shoulder. "Scott and Emily have them for the night. I just... I couldn't face them right now."

Desi nodded as Gran made comforting noises. "Ok. That's a good place for them to be for right now. Tell us what happened."

They waited for Hester to take a few calming breaths before she began her story. "I knew he was cheating on me, but I couldn't prove it. He was always late coming home from work, or he'd have to go in late at night or early in the morning. He was never where he said he was, you know?" Desi nodded. She had caught him in lies a time or two herself, she just hadn't told Hester about it. "Well, a week ago, he left his phone at home when he left for work, and about an hour after he left, he got several text messages, asking him where he was, and when he thought he would be home." She gave a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Home. That's what it said." She angrily swiped a hand across her eyes. "Anyway, when he came home that night, I confronted him about it. He said he didn't have any idea what I was talking about and that I was just imagining things."

Desi snorted at that. "You were imagining text messages that you actually saw?"

She nodded before continuing. "This morning, Kevin asked me when he and daddy were going to go visit that nice lady again. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked him. He said that daddy took him to visit a lady all the time and that she told him he could call her Aunt Tabby until they got married."

Desi held up a hand as she got to her feet. "Wait a fucking minute. He took your five-year-old son to visit his girlfriend?!"

At her nod, Desi suddenly saw red. She swung around and grabbed her car keys off the counter and headed for the door as Gran and Hester shouted for her to stop. Just as she reached the door, it opened and her dad was standing there looking surprised to see Desi right in front of him. Gran yelled for him to stop her and he grabbed her in a hug that she struggled against for several minutes. Her father finally had enough and pushed her back into the kitchen, shutting and locking the door behind himself.

"Would someone like to tell me just what in the hell is going on here and why I need to restrain one of my daughters?" Gran quickly explained the situation as dad paced back and forth, growing more angry with each pass. Finally, he sat down heavily beside Hester and wrapped her in one of his hugs. Nobody hugged better than their dad, and they'd always been good for whatever ailed them, whether that thing was a scraped knee or a broken heart. "So little girl, what is the game plan?"

Hester shrugged, looking lost. "He left about an hour ago. He said that he no longer loved me and that he wouldn't fight me for the house or the kids." She started to laugh but it came out as a sob instead, causing their dad to tighten his hold. "So, I have a house and four kids to take care of."

It took her a minute, but when it dawned on Desi, she looked at her in shock. "Oh, Hester! You're pregnant again?"

She nodded against dad's chest. "Yes. I just found out a week ago. I hadn't even had a chance to tell Brad yet." She shrugged then, looking more like the Hester they all knew and loved. "So, yeah, right this moment, life sucks."

Gran reached across and gently moved a curl out of Hester's face, smiling softly. "No, baby. Brad sucks, and the situation sucks, but life doesn't. You have children to raise and we're going to help you with that as long as you need us to, but right now? The kids are being taken care of, the rat bastard is gone, and I have cookies that need icing. Now then, who's helping?"

Desi snorted as Hester gave a small chuckle, and like always, Gran had managed to break the tension in the room. We all knew Christmas cookies wouldn't fix what was broken, but it would at least keep her mind occupied for a short time, which was exactly what Hester needed right then.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours later, after Desi put a slightly tipsy Hester to bed in the room next to their dad, she let herself into her bedroom and sighed. It occurred to her to check her phone, which she hadn't done since Hester came in with her news. She pulled it out of the back pocket of her jeans and saw that she had several notifications, one being a private message from Bard81. She couldn't help the smile that came across her face as she hurriedly opened the app and saw his name there.


	4. A Lie Or Sin Of Omission?

As Tom sat at his mum's kitchen table and listened to her and his youngest sister Emma bicker back and forth about what should be prepared for Christmas dinner, he couldn't help the smile he got when he looked at his mobile and saw that she had answered. Raven80. He had never seen her but she was quickly becoming one of his closest friends, even though it was just an online friendship. He didn't even know her real name or anything about her, but she was important to him in a way that Tom wasn't fully prepared to dwell on as yet. He frowned when he saw what she had written, immediately wishing there was a way he could actually talk to her. Tom had found that sometimes, feelings and moods were dulled when reading a message as opposed to actually hearing the person talk.

I'm sorry I didn't answer you sooner, but there was a slight family emergency that had to be handled. Yes, I'm doing just fine with the holidays fast approaching. How about yourself?

He bit his lip as he thought about something that had been on his mind for a while now. Before he could chicken out, he let his fingers fly across the face of his mobile.

I am sorry that you are having an emergency, and I do hope that it isn't anything serious. Have you been hurt? I'm doing well, visiting my mother for the holidays. I have been wondering about something and wanted to see how you might feel about it.

It took mere minutes for a reply to come from her end.

No, I haven't been hurt. To be candid, my sister's husband left her, and she's taking it very hard. I can't even imagine, what with her having the children and having to deal with the holiday in just a matter of days. It will be rough, but the family will help her through. I'm happy that you are able to be with your family now. It always makes the holiday more memorable. I don't envy those without loved ones to be with. What is it you have been wondering about?

Tom had to be careful now. He sat and thought for a moment before answering her.

I am so sorry about your sister. I'm assuming she didn't see this coming, which makes it all the more traumatic, especially with children involved. Please, give her an extra squeeze for me. The thing that I was wondering about is... how would you feel about exchanging emails instead of messaging on Wattpad? I sometimes don't see the notifications for hours and I think, in general, email would just be so much easier. It's completely up to you though, of course.

Tom let out the breath he had been holding as he pressed send, then finally tuned back into the conversation around him as his mum asked him a question.

"Darling, I thought that girl was coming home with you this year?"

Tom grinned as he heard Emma snort from across the table, causing him to lightly kick her in response. Even at the age of thirty-six, his mother still referred to any woman he dated as "that girl".

"Mum, I haven't dated anyone in months. Frankly, I haven't had time. The last woman I dated was Constance, and I hear that she is in a very committed relationship with a barrister."

His mum lifted a brow but said nothing more on the subject, but Emma was looking at him strangely. Before she could say anything, he heard his mobile beep and he looked to see a new message.

It never occurred to me. That would be fine if you prefer email to messaging. My email address is the same as my username, except with Gmail on the end.

He nodded to himself as he typed out a reply.

Wonderful! Mine is also the same but with gmail.co.uk on the end. I look forward to chatting with you, but if I don't hear from you before then, have a Happy Christmas.

Tom laid his mobile phone down and looked up to see his sister eyeing him, a small smile on her face. She tapped him on the back of the hand and motioned towards the living room. "I believe we need to talk, Tommy."

After telling mum that they were going to go watch a film, they settled on the couch. She tinkered with the remote control for a few minutes before finding a program she knew that they had both seen before. Emma turned to Tom with a grin.

"Ok, tell me what's going on. You were flustered over mum's question about a girlfriend and you've been fiddling with your mobile all afternoon. Spill it."

Tom grinned and rubbed his neck before shaking his head. "Honestly? I don't know. It's a very complicated story... "

She lifted a brow. "How complicated can it be?"

Tom gave her a look before shaking his head again. "I don't mean to make myself more important than I am, but... look, like I said it's complicated. I don't mind telling you, but you have to let me do it my way." At her nod, he began to fill her in from the beginning, telling her everything, even amid her little coos and snickers. By the time he was done, she was looking at him like he had two heads. It took her a few minutes to sort out what she wanted to say.

"You have to tell her who you are, Tom. You can't keep that information from her. It's lying."

Tom held up a hand. "No! No, I'm not lying, I'm just... look, I know to you I'm just your brother Tom, but to a decent-sized portion of the world, I'm Tom Hiddleston. I'm just trying to keep my anonymity as long as I can. I mean, honestly, right now, we're just chatting. It's nothing romantic at all yet. I just really like her, and I don't want my fame, however fickle it is, to get in the way of getting to know her, that's all."

She shook her head and sighed before smiling wryly at him. "Leave it to you to fall for a fan fiction writer. Ok, look, just promise me that before the two of you do reach romantic status, you'll tell her who you are."

He chuckled when she held a pinky up for him to wrap his around. "I promise she will know who I am before anything... interesting happens."

She made a face and swatted him on the arm. "Thank you and Ewww, gross!"

They were laughing uproariously when their mum yelled for them to come eat.


	5. What's In A Name?

Desi sat staring blankly at the blinking cursor, for how long she didn't really know, until with a huff, she shut the laptop with a snap. She'd tried for days to write, but nothing would travel from her addled brain to her fingers to form words, thoughts, and feelings. She hadn't even been able to bring herself to answer B's latest email. She shook her head as she scooted her chair back from her desk and headed for the open bedroom door, catching a whiff of ham baking from the kitchen. 

She gave a small smile as she heard the happy voices of her niece and nephews, all gathered with their grandpa in the living room to watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Desi bypassed that particular circus and entered the kitchen to find Gran and Hester sitting at the kitchen island, one peeling apples for a pie and the other making cinnamon roll dough for tomorrow's breakfast.

"How goes Christmas dinner preparations? Need some help?"

Gran looked up from dough in front of her to lift a brow. "Finished writing already?" She looked around the kitchen at the controlled chaos of Christmas Eve. "I think we have things pretty well in hand here. I believe there are some last-minute gifts that need wrapping if you'd like to tackle that."

Desi patted Hester on the shoulder, earning myself a tired smile as she walked through the kitchen to the garage, where dad had stored all of the gifts that either still needed to be wrapped or constructed. She sighed as she grabbed a wrench and box knife to open one of the five bicycle cartons in the space where her dad's Caddy usually resided. As she sorted through bike parts to find the instructions, she couldn't help but wonder what B was doing right now.

They'd talked pretty steadily online the last few days, all except today. They still hadn't traded any personal info like names, or ages, but they'd chatted pretty consistently. His last email wanted to know when she was going to update her latest story, as he had steadily read through every story she had posted and still wanted more. It was flattering to know that he liked what she wrote, but she didn't know how to tell him that it just wasn't there anymore. She hadn't been able to write since Brad left Hester, and she didn't know how long it would be before she could again.

Desi heard the door to the kitchen open and she shot a panicked look in that direction, only to find her dad standing there with his hands up in a defensive gesture, a grin on his still-handsome face. "It's only me. The kids are settled in front of the t.v., so I thought I'd come see if you wanted some help."

She nodded as he walked over to get some tools from the workbench. "Yeah, this is definitely a two-person job, at least."

Her dad chuckled as he settled down on the floor across from her. "I thought you'd be taking advantage of the downtime and writing."

She shook her head as she concentrated on the bike in front of her for a few minutes. "No. I just... " She looked at her dad as tears flood her eyes unbidden. "How am I supposed to write a love story right now when Hester is going through something so devastating? Jesus, dad, at this point I feel like I'm trying to write about something that doesn't even exist."

Her dad shook his head sadly as he reached across the space between them to take her small hand in his much larger one. "Darlin, I'd love to tell you that assholes like Brad don't exist, but they do, and you're old enough to know that. Hester doesn't need you to feel sorry for her. She can do that herself, but she isn't. I'm proud of how she has handled all of this. Yes, she has her bad moments, but for the most part, she's showing that Humphries backbone." 

Desi nodded, completely agreeing with him. Hester had been nothing but a class act through all of this. She wondered if it were her in her place if she could do the same. "I know that dad, but you have to admit that it would be hard to write a couple in love right now."

He shrugged, then gave her a sly grin. "I can see your point, but I just figured that guy you've been talking to and giggling over could help you figure that out."

Desi stuck her tongue out at him as he laughed heartily. "We're just friends, that's all."

"Of course, sweetheart. My mistake. Have you exchanged names yet, or are we still going by our email handles?"

She grinned, shaking her head. "Not yet, no. I don't think either of us is ready for that step yet."

He took the wrench out of her hand. "Listen, I can handle these. Why don't you go try to write something? It will make you feel better about things. If you can't work on your story, do what your mother used to do. Write down your feelings, get them out. It'll help, even if nobody else ever sees it."

Desi sighed, knowing that he was right. When they were younger, her mom would always encourage them to write down their feelings, especially if they couldn't give an actual voice to them. It had indeed always helped. She walked out of the garage and through the kitchen, taking a moment to chat with Gran and Hester before making her way back up the stairs to her bedroom. Once inside, instead of taking out her journal, she opened her laptop and waited for it to load. As soon as it did, Desi opened her email and started typing.

I'm sorry I haven't answered you before now. As you can imagine, things have been busy around here, preparing for the holiday. I hope you are doing well and enjoying Christmas. To answer your question, I haven't worked on my story since Brad left Hester. I just haven't been able to bring myself to even look at it. I'm not sure I can continue the story as of now. I feel like I have no idea what love really is, so how in the world can I write a book about it? I mean, you have to understand, Hester and Brad had the perfect relationship. They were so happy together, and to think that could be torn asunder as it was... I have no words. I literally have no words. I'm sorry if I'm letting you down, but if I'm going to be honest with you as well as myself, I may never finish the book, or write another word.

Desi hit send and let the breath out that she hadn't realized she was holding. She knew that she possibly could have just ended their budding friendship. If he was only corresponding with her because he enjoyed her work, then he would really have no reason to continue to do so. She sat for a while, head in her hands, not really expecting a reply but hoping with everything she had that he would.


	6. All You Need Is Love

Desi waited a while longer, but when she got no reply, she headed back downstairs with a heavy heart and a tired sigh. Even before she reached the first floor, she could hear the cacophony of children's voices raised in what could have only been described as delight. She chuckled to spite herself as she walked into the kitchen to find Hester surrounded by her children, preparing a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. She looked up and winked at Desi before speaking to the children in a raised voice.

"Now, you know the rules! Santa won't come until you are all tucked into bed and asleep. Now then, Carlie, you put these in the living room by the tree and Kevin and Tyler, you take the carrots outside on the porch for the reindeer. Scoot!" 

The kids went running off to do as they'd been asked as Scott and Emily came walking in the front door. They both grinned at Hester and Desi and nodded when Hester whispered to them about the surprise they had all planned for Gran. Scott had been working on the old barn out back of the house, making it into a special, private place for Gran whenever he could get around her. She deserved someplace that was just hers, and they'd all worked hard to make it something special.

Desi took a sleepy Pru from Hester as the kids came back from their tasks and their parents took them upstairs to bed. The boys tried being sly, begging to sleep in the bedroom just off the living room, but Gran shut them down in a hurry. Desi chuckled as she took Pru into her room, sitting in the old rocker that had belonged to her mom and letting her eyes close along with the baby's as she listened to her light coos and tiny snores. Before she knew it, Hes was gently shaking her awake to take the baby to bed. She came back after a few minutes and sat on Desi's bed, staring at her.

"So, dad says you're having a hard time writing lately. What's up with that?"

Desi shrugged, avoiding her direct stare as long as she possibly could. "I don't know, I just haven't been feeling it lately, that's all. All the kids tucked in? Scott and Em get settled in their room?"

Hester nodded. "Yes, and don't try to change the subject. I understand that you're upset for me, and I do appreciate it, but honestly Des, I'm fine. I'm better than fine." She paused for a moment to stare off into space, before sighing and directing her gaze back to her sister. "Look, yeah it was a blow, but the longer I'm apart from him, the more I realize that it was coming for a long time. Is it going to take me time to get over him? Hell, yes, it is, but I'll get there. I just don't want this to keep you from trying to find happiness for yourself." Desi nodded as Hester stood up to go to her own room, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "I love you, Des. I love that you're so empathetic but I hate it at the same time. You need to concentrate on you a little more, and what you want out of life. My wish for you is to be happy, big sis."

Desi nodded through the sudden emotion she felt at her words as Hester said goodnight and left her alone. She got up to shut the door and heard her email alert go off on her phone. She held her breath when she saw that it was from him, suddenly not sure that she wanted to read his words. With shaky fingers, she clicked on his email and sat down on her bed to read.

_Darling, I'm so sorry that you're feeling the way you do. I wish with all of my heart that I could take you in my arms and just hold you. I want you to understand, and read this carefully. I don't care if you never write another word, you won't shake me now. Never think that I don't care for you, or that I would let your feelings be trampled on, especially by me. I want you to know something. When I was a boy, my parents divorced. It absolutely shattered me, and for a very long time, I went between thinking that it was somehow my fault and absolutely believing that love just wasn't real. It is real, luv. I'm so sorry for what your sister is going through, but darling, they weren't perfect, and they didn't have a perfect relationship because that simply doesn't exist. Love does exist, though, darling, and if you don't believe me, just look at your own family as proof. Your parents loved each other from school until the day your mother died, and I'd wager that your father still loves her, and she him, wherever she is. Your brother is in a very loving marriage as well. You just have to look around you, dear Raven, to know love exists. Please, take your time, try to find your inner voice again. I know it's still there, even if you don't because I believe in you. You'll find it, luv. Now, I think I've prattled on quite long enough and judging by the time, you should be in bed. Happy Christmas, darling._

Desi sat and read his words at least twice more through a haze of happy tears before typing back a simple response.

_Merry Christmas B_

_\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

After the presents were opened, they lead a confused Gran out to the old barn. Desi almost cried from the delight plainly written on her grandmother's face as Scott opened the door with a flourish. She became weepy as their dad told her that it was her own special spot to do whatever she wanted, away from everyone else. She hugged each of them close before declaring that this was the best gift she'd ever been given. She loves her family, but they could be a handful at the best of times. As they were walking back to the house, Gran wound her arm through Desi's and laid her head on her shoulder. 

"You kids... I don't know how you did it with me here all the time, but I love it!"

Desi kissed her on the head as she chuckled. "That's great! You deserve it, you know. Putting up with this circus can't be easy."

She answered Desi's chuckle with one of her own. "That's true enough, but you know what?" Desi shook her head and she lifted her head to wink at her granddaughter. "I love this circus, and I'm proud to be the ringmaster."


	7. We're Not In Georgia Anymore

_A Week Later_

 

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Hester didn't look at all offended by Desi's outburst as she just smiled calmly and shook her head. "No, I haven't. If anything, I'm thinking clearer than I have in months. Years, maybe."

Desi began to pace the floor in front of the couch, shaking her head as she went. "Look, you can't just run off without a care in the world! You have responsibilities... "

"I know that! It's not like I can't take a week, maybe two, and do something fun. You can certainly take some time off... "

Desi held a hand up, cutting her off. "This isn't about me! It's about you, and the fact that you have three children, and one on the way! You can't just traipse off at a moment's notice and hop on an international flight, jetting off to God knows where!"

"I've already talked to everyone, and Scott, Emily, Gran, and dad are all willing to pitch in and take care of the kids while we're gone."

Desi shook her head at her. "I can't just leave. I have stuff I have to take care of."

Hester stood up and walked over to stand in front of Desi, grabbing her hand. "Come on, Desi. Do this with me. You've always wanted to see Europe, and now's the time! The only thing you have to do is help out around here, and dad says that he can do without you just fine. You won't be able to write for a while, but other than that, there is nothing stopping you. You can even email your friend while we're gone." She batted her eyelashes at Desi and gave her that innocent look that she knew Desi had never been able to resist, and she could feel herself caving. "Come on, do this with me. We've never done anything on the spur of the moment. Don't you think it's time we did? Soon, I'll have another baby and my family will take center stage for me. Let me have this one time to let loose and see some new sights."

Desi shook her head, still unsure. It was such a sudden decision. "I don't know... "

Hester added her patented "get anything I want" smile. "You know, it will help with your writing. You'll be able to get firsthand knowledge of London. Hey, isn't your friend from there? Maybe you two can finally meet."

That thought had honestly never occurred to Desi. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, and she didn't really want to take the time to dwell on it. Hester was right in the fact that it would help her writing to have firsthand knowledge of a place beside Georgia. She sighed as she shook her head. 

"This feels like a mistake, but ok... let's go."

With a squeal, Hester pounced on her, knocking Desi backward into the wall as she started laughing. When she was through doing her happy dance, she dragged her over to the couch to sit beside her.

"This is going to be so much fun! We'll get together tomorrow and plan where we want to go, where we'll stay and all that. Is your passport up to date?"

Desi shrugged. "I don't really know. When are you wanting to leave?"

Hester took a moment to consider it, mentally checking her calendar. "Next week? Check your passport and your credit cards, and we'll plan tomorrow."

Desi just nodded, not at all sure that the world was ready to have the Humphries sisters unleashed upon them.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they all watched the ball drop and everyone went home, Desi stretched out across her bed and checked her phone. She smiled when she saw a new email from B.

_I hope you are out doing something fabulous with your New Years Eve, darling. I know that you do so much for your family that you deserve some fun in your life. How is your sister doing? I can't help but worry about her, and I know that you do too._

Desi grinned as she typed out a reply.

_I spent the evening with my family, as usual. Honestly, I don't do more for my family than anyone else would, but thank you for your words. I hope you did something fun this evening too. You deserve it as well. As for my sister, thank you for asking after her. She is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances. Actually, I have a bit of news. Hester has decided that she and I need a vacation. We'll be headed across the pond in a week or so. I'm really excited!_

It doesn't take as long as she would have thought for him to reply _._

_That's wonderful darling! I know you'll love Europe. I do hope that you get the chance to see London, although I'm sad that I won't be here to show it to you properly. I have some business in California at the same time that you'll be here. Ironic, isn't it? I'll finally have you over here, and I won't be here! I've been thinking about something for a while now... do you feel ready to exchange names?_

Desi stared at the screen of her phone with a feeling of panic. She'd known this was coming for a while because this wasn't the first instance where he had shown an interest in knowing more about each other, but she wasn't ready. Something was holding her back for some reason.

_I completely understand about you having to work and don't expect you to change your plans just because my sister has decided to see Europe. I am disappointed that I won't get to meet with you, but I'm sure we will have other opportunities. As for the name thing... I'm not sure I'm ready. I mean, of course, I'm curious, but I kind of like not knowing. It adds a touch of mystery to our friendship if that makes any sense at all. I'm sure that we will know each other's names soon, perhaps even Skype one day so we can see each other._

It took him longer to answer, and when he did, she could practically feel his disappointment from here. She frowned to herself, knowing that she'd let him down, but she just wasn't ready.

_I understand, darling. We'll reveal our identities only when we are both ready for it, not just one. I can wait, although I had hoped that I could talk you into Skype once we had exchanged information, but that can wait as well. I want you to be completely comfortable. Meanwhile, you'll have to tell me how you enjoy your trip, and if you do venture to London, please, tell me your favorite place to visit. I'll go there myself and try to imagine it from your eyes. For me, I will say that The London Eye and Tower Bridge are great tourist spots. I will give it some thought and give you more suggestions before you travel._

Desi closed her eyes as she yawned, slowly slipping into a sleep filled with dreams of a faceless man walking down the streets of London, holding her hand in his as he pointed out his favorite things.


	8. Life Can Throw Curveballs

_Two Weeks Later_

 

"So, this woman has no idea that she is conversing with the subject of her stories?"

Tom tried to avoid Ben's direct stare as he shrugged self-defensively. "Right, but it isn't like I haven't tried to tell her. I've done everything but beg her to exchange names and numbers and such, and she has no interest in doing so right now. What else can I do?"

Ben just shook his head as they walked through LAX. They were in L.A. doing some promotional work for a film and through the whole flight, the poor man had to listen to Tom complain and whine about the fact that Raven was headed in the opposite direction as him. "Well, mate, you're going to have to tell her eventually, you know. If you were just any other bloke, I'd say let her bide her time, but you aren't just anyone. I'm honestly afraid that she's going to freak out when she finally does find out who you are."

Tom just nodded miserably as they found their car to the hotel. "I know, I'm afraid of that as well, but right now there is nothing I can do about it. Only time will tell if there is really anything between us besides friendship anyway. We can't fully get to know each other until we know each other's names and lives. Yeah, we have shared some things, of course, but nothing too personal."

Neither man says much more as they ride to the hotel. Tom was lost in his own thoughts as he tried to think of a way to get her to open up fully to him.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi tried not to openly stare as they made their way out of Heathrow to find a car, but everything was just so different from what she was used to. After much discussion and a whole lot of begging on Desi's part, they had finally decided to spend the bulk of their vacation in London. They had both agreed that there was plenty of things to see and do there and that there was no way that they would get bored, but if they did, they could certainly change their plans.

After Hester figured out the money situation, something Desi was not ready to tackle, they caught a taxi to their hotel, The Amba at Charing Cross. Once there, the two sisters quickly got their room situated and soon they were ensconced in a beautifully luxurious suite. Desi sighed as she kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the bed closest to the en-suite. She looked over at Hes, who had done the same on her own bed and gave a big smile. 

"We're not dreaming, right? We're actually in London?"

Hester chuckled as she stared at the ceiling. "We are indeed. What do you want to do first? After we sleep, of course."

Desi shook her head and let out a tired but happy sigh. "Gosh, I don't even know. There's so much to see and do."

She heard Hes answer her around a yawn. "Well, we can figure it out when we wake up." Desi laid there for a while staring at the ceiling before she sighed rather loudly and heard an answering sigh from her sister. "Problem?"

"No, not so much a problem as a... situation. B wants to exchange names and Skype."

Desi heard fabric rustling, then felt the bed dip as Hester sat cross-legged on the bed beside her hip, staring down at her. "And you don't want to? I figured you would want to know who you're talking to."

Desi blew out a breath and looked at Hes before throwing an arm across her eyes. "This was safe, anonymous, you know? But now... what if he takes one look at me and says adios? Right now, he's enamored of my way with words, but what if he doesn't like what he sees? Or gets to know me and decides he doesn't like the person I am?"

Hester removed Desi's arm from her face and smiled down at her kindly. "I think you're more afraid of feeling that way toward him. What if he isn't what your little writer's brain has made him into?" She shook her head. "Honey, you both have to start at a blank slate. No preconceived notions about each other." She grinned before poking Desi in the forehead with her forefinger. "Next time he asks, say yes and go from there. What could go wrong?"

Desi snorted out a laugh as Hester moved back to her bed. "What could go wrong? Famous last words Hester dear."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom couldn't help the huge smile he got when he saw that Raven had emailed him or the chuckle of delight that escaped when he saw what she had written.

_After giving it some thought, I have decided that you are right. It's time we exchanged names and perhaps Skyped, or maybe talked on the phone first? I have to admit that I'm extremely nervous about this, but after talking to Hester about it, I agree that it's the only next logical step. So, I'll go first... Hey, B, I'm Desdemona or Desi for short... I guess it's your turn._

Tom let out a slow breath before he started typing out his response. 

_It's wonderful to finally meet you, Desi. I'm so happy that you're ready to take this to the next level, and I'm sure that our friendship will only grow stronger because of it. So, as you put it so eloquently, I guess it's my turn. Hey Desi, I'm Thomas, or Tom for short._

 


	9. Did I Fall Down The Rabbit Hole?

"Hester!"

Desi's sister came running into the bedroom, looking like she had scared her to death by screaming her name. At the moment, though, Desi couldn't be bothered to care. She trying to keep herself from freaking out, and she was failing miserably.

"What the devil is wrong with you? Why are you screaming like a banshee?" Desi silently shoved her phone at her sister, the email still open. She started pacing as Hester read, chuckling quietly to herself. "Ok, I see what you're freaking out about, but I honestly think it's just a coincidence. I mean, what are the odds that it's actually him?"

Desi stared at her disbelievingly for a moment before answering rather sarcastically. "Gee, I don't know Hes. Maybe better than the odds that a random man named Tom, who happens to be from London, is reading fan fiction about  _that_  Tom!"

Hester started to hand Desi her phone back as the email alert went off again. She swiped to the new one and cleared her throat before thrusting the phone into Desi's hand. She stared at the words on the screen before lifting panic-stricken eyes in her younger sister's direction.

_I feel like it's taking you a little longer than normal to reply back. Perhaps we need to Skype now rather than later, darling._

"What... what do I do? Oh my god, Hester! It's him, isn't it?"

Hester took a deep breath before nodding to herself. "Give him your Skype info then log in. I'll handle this."

Desi stared at her a minute longer before replying with her Skype info. She logged in to the video chat app then handed her sister the phone. Hester pointed toward the bedroom door and Desi quickly walk in that direction. She could hear the beep as Tom, whoever he was, called Desi as she was shutting the door behind herself. She didn't know what Hester had planned but if anything, she was buying Desi a few minutes to get herself back under control.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hester accepted the call and closed her eyes momentarily as she saw the smiling face of Tom Hiddleston on the other end of the screen. She let her eyes snap back open and spoke before he had a chance to jump in first.

"Before we begin, let me be clear that I am not Desi. I'm Hester, her sister." Hester saw the frown come over his face, and she felt bad for a moment before she stiffened her spine and proceeded. She couldn't let the sad puppy look get to her before she got the information she wanted. "I don't even know where to begin, honestly." She shook her head and tried to glare at him, but it was like being angry with one of her kids. "I suppose I'll just cut to the chase. What's your game? If you're intending on coming after her for writing about you, I'm not going to let you get near her. If that's what this is about, you have lawyers, use them."

He was shaking his head in denial before Hester even finished speaking, his eyes darting around as if he hoped to catch a glimpse of Des. "I have no intention of coming after her, as you put it." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I didn't mean for this to go as long as it did, but your sister is very stubborn and just wouldn't agree to the name exchange thing earlier. No offense, Hester, but I would rather explain this to Desi, not you. I mean her no harm, I swear to you."

Hes sat studying him for a moment, inwardly squealing like a fangirl. She was no more immune to that face than her sister was. Desi was just a little more in awe of him than Hester was, that's all. She bit her lip before making her decision. 

"I'm going to go get Desi, but I swear to all that is holy if you hurt her... "

He held up his hands in mock surrender, smiling shyly but eagerly. "I promise, that is not my intention at all. Please, go get Desi. Let me explain to her. I don't want who I am to stand between us any longer."

Hester shook her head slightly as she got up to leave the bedroom, laying Desi's phone on her bed. She walked out into the living area to see her sister pacing the floor, still looking scared to death. Hes gave her a small grin as she stopped pacing to stare at her.

"Well?"

Hester nodded her head and Desi groaned. "Yeah, it's him." She held up a hand as she started to speak. "Look, before you freak out completely, I think you should hear him out. He swears to me that he isn't angry with you over the stories. If that's the case, then he might genuinely want to get to know you. At least hear what he has to say."

Hester watched the emotions play across her sister's face before she finally gave her a small grin. "If you're sure... "

Hes shrugged, grinning back at her. "I'm not sure. All I can go by is what he says, and he says that he means no harm. Give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen? You find out he's a douchebag and stop writing about him. Maybe start living, in reality, a little." 

Hester's last comment earned her a finger gesture and a chuckle as Desi walked past her to the bedroom, squaring her shoulders as she went.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi walked into the bedroom, feeling a little like Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole. She was having a hard time reconciling herself to the fact that for all of these months, she'd been happily chatting with Tom Hiddleston. With a shaky hand, she picked up her phone and almost dropped it again when she saw him on the screen. As she looked closer at him, he looked like he was speechless, his mouth hanging open a little, and that one eyebrow lifted. The first words he said to her shocked Desi to the core.

"Bloody hell, you're beautiful!" He closed his eyes in apparent embarrassment, his facing going an attractive shade of red as he grinned. "Please forgive my outburst, darling, but I've wondered for a while now what you looked like. I have found myself daydreaming at the oddest times about what your hair color is or what your eyes look like. I must say, I'm pleased with what I see, although I don't think it would have made much difference."

Desi bit her lip for a moment before finally speaking to him. "What's your angle, Tom?"


	10. Did That Just Happen?

"What's your angle, Tom?"

Tom sat and just stared at the woman on the other side of his laptop for a moment, not sure what she meant. Finally, he just said so.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I don't understand what you mean."

He watched her worry her lip with her teeth for a few seconds before looking away, almost like she didn't want to look him directly in the eyes. "I mean... shit, I'm not even sure what I mean." She took a deep breath, then blew it back out. "Ok. I realize it's a really gray area for all of us writers to write about living, breathing people, and you would be well within your rights to demand that I stop... I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you aren't planning on suing me for writing about you, then I don't understand why you want to talk to me."

Tom couldn't help but grin a little at her obvious confusion. "Isn't it possible that I could simply like you and want to get to know you better?" He snorted at her disbelieving look. "It's true! Look, once I read your work, I knew that I found you fascinating and wanted to know you better, that's all. Once we started emailing back and forth, well... I think we developed a bond. I would hate to see that broken just because of who I am."

She nodded a little as if she was trying to process what he'd just told her. "How did you find my writing in the first place? I can't believe that you just troll Wattpad looking for stories about yourself."

He shook his head as he chuckled. "No, I don't, believe me. I was actually dared to do it if you can believe that one. Robert Downey Jr. knew that there was fan fiction about me and others on Wattpad and dared me to check some of it out. He had read some of the stories about himself and found them entertaining, and he said that some were very well written. I felt uncomfortable reading about people I knew, so I searched my own name." Tom ducked his head for a moment, trying to hide what he just knew was a red face. He laughed self-consciously before continuing. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff being written about me. Well, maybe you would at that. Anyway, I struggled through a few of the rougher ones until I found you one day. One chapter and I was hooked. It's positively uncanny how close to the real me you get, darling. For a while, I thought you might be someone that knew me personally, that's how on the mark you are. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to discover you. I was also shocked to realize how amazing a writer you were."

Desi gave him a shy grin. "Thank you... I think. You have to admit that this is pretty strange. Before, when I thought you were some random person, I... well, it doesn't matter what I thought."

They both sat in silence with their own thoughts for a moment before he spoke up. "Is this going to be too hard for you? I mean, you were fine when you thought I was someone else. Are my name and face really that hard for you to overcome? I would love for us to continue our friendship, if at all possible." Tom shook his head, a little sad to think that she would let this stand between them. "Ben tried to tell me that you wouldn't take finding out who I was that well, but I honestly thought we would be able to get past it once the truth was out... "

He saw Desi's eyes narrow and he instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing. "Wait a second... you told someone about me?"

Tom nodded quickly, not at all happy at the thought that she was vexed with me. "Yes, just my best friend. Benedict Cumberbatch? Have you heard of him?"

Tom saw her eyes widen considerably and had to fight back a chuckle trying to break loose. "Have I... seriously, Tom?"

He shrugged nonchalantly as if it was no big deal, which honestly, to him it wasn't. "Yeah. I felt bad about not telling you who I was sooner, and he told me that I needed to as soon as possible, but you didn't want to exchange names, so I didn't really know what to do besides waiting for you to come around."

Desi shook her head, apparently willing to let the fact that Ben knew about the situation slide for the moment. Tom watched her take a deep breath before giving him a small grin. "Ok, so, you want to be friends?"

Tom smiled at her, nodding quickly. "Yes! Yes, Desi, I want to be friends."

He watched her bite her lip again and grinned as he realized that was one of her tells. She was about to give in to what he wanted, but she was worried about doing so. It may take a while, but he would make her see that she had nothing to fear from him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi walked out of the bedroom, feeling like she had just left a parallel universe. After Tom gave her his phone number, he had made her promise to text him as soon as they ended their conversation so that he would have hers. She found Hester where she had left her, sitting on the couch in the living area and sipping from a glass of ginger ale. She noticed that she had ordered room service while Desi was talking to Tom, the smell of baked chicken permeating the space. She poured herself a glass of the adult grape juice Hester had ordered for her and joined her on the couch, tucking her legs under herself. Hester gave her a side glance before grinning.

"Well? Did you get everything straightened out?"

Desi nodded slowly, still trying to wrap her mind around what had transpired. "I think so. He wants to be friends. We even exchanged phone numbers."

Hes stared at her for a moment before letting loose a delighted chuckle. "That's great! Who knows, you two may become quite close. You never know what's in store for you."

Desi just shook her head and grinned at her. She was right about the universe being fickle. A year ago, she would never have dreamed that she would be sitting in a hotel room, sipping wine with her sister. Strange things happen when you weren't looking. 


	11. Someone Like You

_Six Months Later_

_To my dear readers,  
_

_After a lot of consideration, I am here to let you know that I won't be updating for a long time, if ever. I am going to work on my first original work for possible publication. This is a big deal for me, and I want to give it all of my efforts. I want you all to know that I will miss you and I will miss writing here, but I really think this is for the best. You all have always supported me, and I can't thank you enough for that. Because of you, I have found my voice._  
All the best,  
Raven

With a tear in her eye and one particular reader in mind, Desi hit the post button and sat back with a sigh. Hester came walking in the door to her bedroom carrying two coffee cups, one with regular for Desi and decaf for her. She was getting big and Desi couldn't help but chuckle as she struggled to sit on the edge of her bed. Desi wiped her eyes and took a sip of the steaming brew as Hester gave her an understanding smile.

"Do you think you'll hear from him?"

Desi shook her head and chuckled dryly. "No. He's busy, Hes. According to social media and the tabloids, any free time away from his movie is spent with the new girlfriend."

She lifted a brow at the tone in Desi's voice. "Her name is Leslie, Desi. She looks like a nice woman. You'd probably like her if you met her." She paused before bringing up another sore subject. "Are you going to tell him about the move?"

Desi stared at her in disbelief as she again shook her head. With everyone's urging, she had decided to move to London to pursue her writing career. Desi felt that being in the center of such a historic city would benefit her writing and her imagination greatly. She was leaving in a week, having already found a nice flat as the British call them, near London proper. Desi thought about Tom for a moment and gave a small smile. 

They had kept up well with texting and talking on the phone for a couple of months before the rumors started about his latest romance. After a few weeks, they had started talking less and less until, finally, correspondence stopped altogether. Desi never asked him about her, thinking that it was none of her business. They were just friends, after all. Nothing more, and that was the way it would stay. She didn't want to tell him about her move, although Hester thought that he would be able to help Desi get acclimated to the strange city. Desi didn't want him to feel imposed upon or worse, think that she had moved there for him.

"I've told you, Hes. No, I'm not telling him."

Hester snorted, aggravated with her now. "What happens when you two bump into each other on the street or in a restaurant? It could happen, you know."

She shrugged, shutting her laptop and standing up to walk over and look out the window. "If that should happen, I'd just say that I'm there on vacation or something. He doesn't need to know what I'm doing with my life. If he wanted to know, he'd text or call."

Hester turned to look at her. "That works both ways, you know. You haven't exactly reached out to him either."

"That's different. I just don't want to bother him, that's all. I haven't replaced him." Desi turned to see her eyes soften in sadness and she shrugged defensively. "Don't look at me that way. I know that isn't what happened, but it damn sure feels like it. Like he has a girlfriend now, so no need for a female friend."

Hester struggled to stand before walking over to look out the window beside her sister. "Look, I think you should write him one last time. Just a quick email to say thank you for believing in my writing and whatnot. You don't have to mention Leslie or you moving to London, but you should at least send him something. A goodbye, if you will. He deserves that."

Desi was quiet for a while before finally nodding in agreement. Hester informed her that Gran said dinner would be ready soon and left Desi staring out into the night. After a little while, she walked back over to her desk and sat down, opening the laptop and quickly signing into her email account. She sat staring at the blinking cursor in the new message box for what seemed like forever before the words came pouring from her brain to her fingers.

_Tom,_

_First off, I want to thank you for believing in my potential. If not for you, I probably would never have seriously considered a career as a writer, thinking that my writing was just a hobby to pass the time. You're the first person who ever cared for me just simply because they wanted to, not because they were related to me. Because of you, I am giving my first original work a heavy once over for possible publication. Thank you for being a friend to me, for however brief a time that was true, I will never forget you. You are a wonderful man, deserving of everything beautiful that life has to offer, and I sincerely hope that you receive it. I hope one day to be deserving of such a man. Someone just like you._

_All my love,  
Desi_

She hit send before she could chicken out, then promptly broke down into sobs. Desi knew she was being silly. She knew she didn't have a right to feel the way that she did, but she felt it to the depths of her soul anyway. She felt like I had just broken up with the love of her life, which was just ridiculous. He was just a friend.

 


	12. Learning To Like Tea

_Six Months Later_

 

"S'cuse me luv, do you mind if I sit 'ere? Everything is full." 

Desi brought her head up from the notebook in front of her and almost choked on a surprised gasp. Idris Elba was standing in front of her table, looking bashfully at her from lowered eyes. He shrugged, waving a hand around at all the full tables. Desi stared at him a few seconds more before finally nodding quickly and motioning to the empty chair opposite herself. 

"Yeah, sure, Mr. Elba! It's fine, really. I won't be much longer."

He grinned and shook his head as he set a cup down on the table before taking the offered seat. "Idris, please. I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think you're from London or the UK for the matter. Visiting for the holidays?"

Desi chuckled as she laid her pen down atop her notebook. "No, I'm here studying. That and writing the most epic breakout novel of all time, don't you know."

He chuckled and nodded his head. "You're not the first, luv. What school are you attending? I don't mean to be rude, but you seem a little... mature, for uni."

Desi gave a mock shocked look and raised an eyebrow. "Flattery will get you nowhere. I'm studying at the University Of London, and yes, I know I'm a little long in the tooth for that."

Idris laughed a little harder at that. "Now, we're never too old to learn something new, not that I would call you old. I'm certainly older." She took a sip of the tea in front of her and grimaced, making him snicker. "If you don't like tea, why did you order it?"

She grinned ruefully. "Trying to blend in with the natives?" Desi shrugged. "I don't know... for some reason, I feel the need to learn to like it."

He nodded then took her cup and sipped from it thoughtfully. "Peppermint?" At her nod, he shook his head. "Nah, darling, Earl Gray is what you want to start with. Work your way up to the fancy stuff, yeah? Although, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being yourself."

Desi grinned at that. "Well, I suppose Wild Turkey is more my speed."

Idris grabbed his chest above his heart, making her giggle like a schoolgirl. "Now, that's a woman after my own heart."

Desi looked down at her phone and saw that if she didn't leave right then, with the way it was snowing, she'd be late for her afternoon class. She quickly grabbed her notebook off the table and stood up. "I need to get going or I'm going to be late. Thanks for the chat, Idris. It's been a pleasure."

He stood up beside her and gently took her arm to slow her progress. "Please, darling, it was my pleasure. I wonder if you'd give me your number? I could show you around town a bit if you like. Perhaps take you out to dinner one evening."

Desi grinned before reaching into her notebook to tear out a blank sheet of paper, quickly jotting down her name and number before she could talk herself out of it. She handed him the paper and he winked at her before letting her pass to the door. They said goodbye then she was out into the cold, the wind whipping the snow around her legs as she walked to the tube station. She had her head down, trying to fight against the cold as she thought how strange life had turned out to be. 

Since being in London, she had met a few celebrities: a week after Desi arrived, she was asked by Benedict Cumberbatch to hand him two tomatoes at Tesco, then a month ago she had met Matt Smith on the tube, now Idris at the coffee shop. She snorted to herself as she thought that the only Londoner I hadn't seen was the one that she actually knew.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom waited for the woman to pass through the door before he darted into the coffee shop, sighing with heartfelt relief at the warmth of the room. He saw Idris waving from across the space and he waved back as he made his way to the counter to order. As he waited for his coffee, he thought how nice it was to be back home, and in time for the holidays. He could finally relax, let his guard down. It had been a rough year, and he would be glad when it was over. The past few weeks since his breakup with Leslie had been hard, what with the paps following his every step. He would never understand how a simple act like taking his new pup for a walk was newsworthy. Leslie. Tom shook his head as he thought about what a right cock-up that relationship had been. 

Tom sighed as he remembered that the whole time he was being faithful to her, even thinking about marriage down the road, she had been cheating on him with several different partners. He even gave up his friends and family to make her feel more secure in their relationship, but even that didn't work. Tom supposed, in the end, it was never going to work between them, he just hadn't wanted to see it. Instead, he wanted to focus on the few good times they had and not think about the numerous fights and needless drama that always seemed to follow her.

By the time he made it to the table where Idris waited, he was happily typing something on his mobile, a big grin on his face. "What has you so happy on such a dreary day?"

Idris chuckled as they shook hands and Tom sat down. "I just met a lovely little bird... you just missed her. I bet you passed her on the way in as she was leaving. Anyway, I got her digits, and I've already texted her to see about dinner tomorrow night."

Tom's grin widened at how happy his friend was with his newfound conquest. "Well, that's aces, yeah? What's this bird's name, or haven't you gotten that far?"

Idris gave him a mock glare before laughing. "Of course, I have. She left it right here on this paper with her number." He looked down and his next words shook Tom to the core. "Her name is Desdemona or Desi for short, she wrote here."


	13. Bridges Burned

"Desi."

Idris looked at Tom with a confused smile and an arched brow. "Yeah, mate, that's her name."

Tom shook his head, trying to make sense of the current turn of events. "No, no... I knew a woman named Desi. There can't be that many, right? I mean, Desdemona isn't a normal name, is it? It's entirely possible that it isn't her though. She's from Georgia in the states. Did she give you the last name?"

Idris shook his head. "No, man, just her first, but she was from the states. I could tell from her accent. How do you know this woman?"

Tom sighed and raked a hand through his hair, trying to decide whether to tell him the whole story. He supposed it couldn't hurt and perhaps he wouldn't look as crazy to him as he did right now. Tom told Idris the everything, from beginning to end, and by the time he was done, his friend was staring at him like he was gobsmacked until he broke out in a grin. His first question wasn't at all what Tom expected it to be.

"Did she have any stories about me?"

Tom gave him a dirty look as he shook his head. "I really don't know. I wasn't interested in reading about my friends. Besides, that really isn't the point of the story, is it?"

Idris shrugged. "No, I s'pose not." He sighed. "So, because of Leslie's insecurities, you let this woman go."

Tom nodded slowly, thoroughly ashamed of his actions. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

Idris leaned forward, staring at him intently. "Why didn't you contact her after you and Leslie broke it off? Pick up where you left off?"

Tom shrugged, feeling his face turn red under Idris's scrutiny. Trying to lie to Idris was like lying to his mum, impossible. "How could I? She'd never forgive me for tossing her aside, and I wouldn't blame her. Our relationship was new and fragile, and I tossed it aside for something I already knew, something that I thought was a safe choice. If I could go back, I'd... " Tom paused, staring down at the piece of paper that Idris still held in his hand. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me have her number? I could at least apologize."

Idris seemed to ponder his question for several minutes, turning the tiny piece of paper over and over in his hands. Finally, he shook his head. "No, Tom, I won't, and I'll be happy to tell you why." He paused to make sure Tom was paying attention, although how he could miss his shocked face Tom had no idea. "I could give this to you, but that would make me look as mad as a box of frogs, now wouldn't it? No, I think that you cared more about this bird than you let on, even to yourself, and I'd be crazy to let you anywhere near her." He shook his head then chuckled. "No, Tom, I'm going to get my chance with Desi. I like her, and I want to see where that goes. You had yours and you blew it. Now, you might get another chance sometime, but not right now, and not through me. Sorry, man." He stood up and started to walk by Tom, slapping him on the back in the good-natured way that Idris had. "Bloody hell, mate. Save some for the rest of us."

With that, he was out the door into the snow-covered city and Tom was left sitting, pondering what to do about the current situation.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Three Weeks Later_

Desi stood staring into her closet, not sure what to wear while her cell phone was plastered to my ear. 

"Where did he say you were going?"

She sighed at Hester's question from across the ocean as she pondered a red dress. "He just said dinner with a few of his friends. That could be at someone's house or at a restaurant, I have no idea."

Desi heard Hes laugh. "Boy, Idris isn't one to give you details, is he? Ok, I'd go with that long black skirt you have, a nice blouse and some boots. And wear your hair down."

Desi plopped down on the bed, letting out another sigh. "What am I doing, Hes? Maybe I should just cancel. I'm too old for this dating nonsense."

"No! You are not canceling on the poor man. You agreed to give this a chance, Des, and that's what you're going to do." Desi heard her sigh on her end, and she could plainly picture her shaking her head in frustration. "Look, I know you thought when Tom broke it off with Leslie, that he would get in touch with you, but he didn't, sis. You have to let that go now and focus on what's in front of you. That's Idris. He seems like a really great guy from what you've told me. Give him a chance. It may come to nothing, but if it does, you've at least had a great experience and probably gained another friend."

"He is a great guy. He's warm and caring. He's funny and such a good friend to the people in his life. It's just... "

"I know. It's just that he isn't Tom. Good lord, woman, that's not a bad thing."

Desi grinned at the mothering tone in Hester's voice, not willing to remind her at the moment of who was, in fact, the older sister. "Ok, I see your point. Well, I better get off the phone if I plan on being ready when he gets here."

With a laugh, a quick goodbye and a promise from Desi to tell her how it went, Hes hung up and left her with her thoughts as she got dressed for the evening. She knew Hester was right, of course. Tom put himself in her past when he dropped off her radar, and it wasn't fair of her to measure Idris by him. Desi squared her shoulders and marched over to her closet, intent on finally putting Tom in the shadows where he belonged.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tom! I'm happy that you decided to come tonight, mate. It's going to be a great night, just friends. Exactly what you need to take your mind off anything that might be bothering you."

Tom grinned at his best friend as he handed him his coat and reached out to draw his wife Anna into a hug before handing her the bottle of wine he had brought. "Thanks for the invitation, Ben. I admit I've been out of the loop for a while, but I need to re-connect with everyone. Who is coming besides me?"

Ben scratched his head in thought as Anna giggled and rolled her eyes at her husband before turning to Tom with a smile. "You know he can't remember anything but his lines. Besides you, Martin and Amanda are coming, and Idris. I believe he's bringing his new girl, so that should be fun."

Tom stared at her for a moment in silent shock before he could feel a slow grin spreading across his face. "Fun indeed. I'm definitely glad I came now."


	14. Apologies And Mistletoe

Tom was helping Ben get drinks ready when the doorbell rang and there was the usual commotion of people arriving. He took a deep breath and followed Ben out of the kitchen and into the living room as everyone seemed to arrive at the same time. They greeted Martin and Amanda, then Idris, before he moved to the side to reveal Desi standing shyly behind him. She refused to meet Tom's direct gaze as Idris introduced her to everyone. As he turned to Tom, he stepped forward a bit, trying to make her look at him, but she still refused. Idris looked vaguely uncomfortable as he put a hand on her elbow.

"Well, now, you two are already acquainted, but I don't think you've ever met in person, have you?" Desi finally lifted her eyes to Tom's, and he was again utterly shocked at how beautiful she was, more so in person. Tom gave her a small smile as she nodded to him. Idris sighed and leaned in to speak quietly so only Desi and Tom could hear him. "I think if we're all going to be able to have a good time, that perhaps you two should have a private chat, yeah?"

Tom and Desi both nodded, her shyly, and him eagerly, and Tom put his hand on the small of her back to move her toward the kitchen where they could have a moment or two of privacy. He shut the door behind them and suddenly had no idea what to say. Finally, Tom cleared his throat and hoped for the best.

"So, I owe you an explanation and apology." When Desi looks over at Tom from where she was leaning against the kitchen counter, he took that as an indication that she was willing to listen. "When I started dating Leslie... she was very insecure about my having single female friends. She didn't mind the married ones and that's why I'm still in Anna's and Amanda's good graces, but you... she made me promise to stop talking to you, and I wanted to be the supportive boyfriend that I felt I should be, but... darling I've missed you so much, and I am very sorry for how I treated you."

Desi didn't say anything for a moment, then shook her head. "You didn't even say goodbye. You were just... gone. I understand why you did it, but... after. After the two of you broke up, I still didn't hear anything from you. I just assumed our friendship meant more to me than you, but I have to admit it hurt."

Tom sighed and run a hand through his hair before rubbing his neck. "I know. My only excuse is that I thought that by the time we had broken up, you wouldn't want to talk to me. I felt like too much time had passed and perhaps that was a bridge that I had burned. I never meant to do that to you, you have to believe me."

She just nodded and gave him a small smile. "I do, Tom. I understand."

Tom let out the breath he had been holding and gave her a smile. "So... you and Idris, yeah?"

She gave a soft smile and for a moment, Tom let himself wish that it was him that drew that response from her and not one of his closest friends. "Yeah, I think maybe so. He's a great guy. I mean, we've only been seeing one another a few weeks, but it's been great so far."

Tom felt himself nodding, but inside he was screaming. "That's wonderful, darling. Idris is a wonderful person. I wouldn't want to see you with anyone else." Except himself, he silently added before continuing. "It's just so strange the way fate works, isn't it?"

She gave a small laugh and moved to leave the kitchen. "Yeah, it is indeed. So, I guess we should join the others. We're good, right?"

Tom nodded, smiling. "Yes, of course, Desi. I'll be out in a moment, ok?"

She just nodded and left him alone with his treacherous thoughts. Moments later, he heard someone come in from his position with his back to the door and his head down. Tom felt a hand on his back and lifted his head to see a concerned Ben watching him. "You ok, mate?" He just nodded mutely, letting his head fall back to its original position as he heard Ben sigh. "Look, Tom, I know this was a shock, and I realize how this must feel, but... "

Tom snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. "No, Ben, you can't, because I can't even explain how I'm feeling right now. I mean, I knew they were together, but... I don't know what this feeling in my chest is."

Ben gave his best friend a sad smile. "I know what it is, and someday you will too. In the meantime, be happy for your friends. We never know what fate holds for us down the road." He slapped Tom on the back. "Let's go join the rest of the group, shall we?"

Tom just nodded and followed him out of the kitchen, walking into the living room just in time to see Idris laughingly kiss Desi under a somewhat wilted sprig of mistletoe left over from Christmas. It took all of the acting skills Tom had, but he managed to make it through the evening, laughing when appropriate, talking when he needed to, but never once taking his eyes off of Desi.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Idris dropped Desi off at her place, and she'd changed into her tank top and pajama pants, she took a few minutes with a glass of Wild Turkey to get her emotions in check. She was glad that she had finally gotten some answers where Tom was concerned, and she thought they'd be able to move forward as friends from here on out, but she couldn't explain the twinge of sadness she felt when they left tonight. Desi felt like she was losing something but damned if she was able or willing to figure it out. She decided to go to bed, but she laid there for hours, tossing and turning. When she was finally able to fall asleep, Desi dreamed of two men, very different from each other. She felt like she was at a fork in the road and she didn't know which way to go.


	15. You Can Go Home Again

_Three Months Later_

As Desi pulled into the familiar driveway in her rental car, she couldn't help the excitement she felt. She had decided to take a break from writing and give herself a well-deserved mini-vacation back home. She got out of the car and took a deep breath, relishing in the calm of the old farm. Desi walked up and sat down on the porch to wait for everyone to get home from church. Her flight had gotten in earlier than she had first anticipated, and while she could go on in the house and get comfortable, she was quite enjoying the breeze on the veranda style front porch. 

Desi checked her phone and saw that she had a text from Idris, asking if she had gotten to the house alright, along with a picture of him and Tom goofing around on set. She snickered as she texted him back, telling him that she had gotten home fine and not to work too hard. He and Tom were currently in L.A. for the filming of Infinity Wars and one or the other was always sending her silly pictures. Even though they'd been dating for months now, it seemed like Idris and Desi were still more friends than lovers. They hadn't even slept together yet, a fact that bothered her somewhat, but he seemed fine with it for the moment. 

She didn't have time to dwell on that though because just then her sister's car came screeching to a halt right in front of the porch steps. Before Desi could get up out of the rocking chair, she was out of the car and jumping onto the porch to grab her older sister up in a bear hug.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you're here! Why didn't you tell us you were coming? We would have skipped church."

Desi laughed as she pulled back from Hes to greet the rest of the family, her dad having pulled in right after Hester. "I wanted to surprise everyone, that's why. You know Gran wouldn't miss church."

The old woman in question was wiping her eyes as she kissed her oldest grandchild on the cheek. "I might have made an exception for you, little girl. My, aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Let me get a good look at you." She drew back and eyed Desi critically for a moment before smiling and chuckling to herself. "Well, I guess London is doing alright by you. I might come out there and visit myself sometime." She hugged Desi close to her for a moment, whispering in her ear before letting me go. "I have missed this face. It's good to have you home, Desi."

Desi received hugs from the rest of the brood before Gran announced that they needed to go inside for lunch. She snatched Hester's youngest, Morgan, from Scott and cradled her to her chest as they walked into the house. Desi sat down in the old rocking chair in the corner of the living room as everyone else went to either change clothes or get lunch ready, rocking the baby and speaking softly in her ear. "I'm your Auntie Desi, and I'm the best aunt you'll ever have, even better than Auntie Emily, but don't tell her I said that. I'm going to teach you how to throw a baseball and take you to ballet. I'm going to get you out of going to piano practice with Miss Prudence because she's a hateful old spinster who's only nice to her cats. We're going to have so much fun together, you and I." 

Desi looked up to see Hester watching her with a smile on her face as she shook her head. "Now, why would you promise my innocent child all of that when you live in London now?"

Desi shrugged and smiled at her sister. "I may move back home, you  never know what's in store."

Hes just shook her head at her. "No, you belong in London. You're thriving there. How's the writing going? How's Idris? Why didn't he come?"

"He's filming right now and just couldn't take the time away. My writing is going pretty well. I'm working on my second draft for my editor."

Hester snuck a glance at her as she took the now-sleeping baby from her arms. "And Tom? How is he?"

Desi sighed. "He's well."

She smirked at Her sister's answer and nodded. "I'm sure he is. We'll talk about that later. Right now, Gran has lunch just about ready."

Desi headed for the kitchen as she got the distinct feeling that she was just saved from execution.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mind telling me what your problem is today? You haven't done anything right since we got here this morning."

Tom sighed as Idris sat down beside him while they waited for the next scene to be set. "I don't really know. I just feel off for some reason. Have you heard from Desi? Did she make it home alright?"

Idris grinned as he took a long sip from a bottle of water before answering. "Yeah, she made it in just fine. I think you worry about my girlfriend more than I do."

Tom blushed under his direct glance. "I'm sorry, honestly. It's just that she's my friend and I want to make sure she's safe, that's all. You're the one she loves."

Idris waved him off. "Oh, I know. I'm just taking the piss." He paused, looking down at his feet. "I don't know if you realize this or not, but initially, I started dating Desi as a way to get at you, because I knew you were interested in her, and I really did want to get to know her better, but now... I don't know. I like her, a lot, but love? I don't think we're there, and I don't know that we ever will be."

Tom stared at him in shock and anger. "You... seriously? You don't love her but you kept me away from her because... " He shook his head. "She's not in love with me, Idris. We're friends, that's all."

He nodded, grinning. "Yeah, that's what you both say, but you don't see what the rest of us sees. It's not fair of me to stand in the way of the two of you. Even if you never get together, it won't be because I got between you. I'm going to break it off with her when she and I are both back in London. Then whatever happens between you will happen naturally."

Tom just nodded absently, trying to absorb everything he had just told me. He should be angry with him, but Tom knew that they'd always been competitive with each other, and if he were going to be honest, he would have probably done the same to him. Ok, maybe he wouldn't have kept it going for as long as Idris did, but that's neither here nor there. Tom just hoped that he was right, and Desi didn't have feelings for him.


	16. Altered Plans

Tyler was up to bat in the bottom of the ninth when Desi's phone started ringing. Ordinarily, she'd ignore it, because she took being one of the coaches seriously, even if she was just temporarily filling in, but when she looked at it, she saw that it was Hester calling. She wouldn't be calling now unless it was important. She motioned to Scott and walked back farther into the dugout to answer her call.

"Hey, Hes. What's up?"

"Des, I need you and Scott to meet us at the hospital as soon as the game is over. I mean it. Emily is going to be there to take Ty with her and the rest of the kids. Dad... he was working in the yard and the EMTs think he had a heart attack. Please get here quick, Des."

Desi just stared at the wall of the dugout for a moment, trying to process what her sister was saying, then it hit her. "Ok... as soon as we can, Hes."

She hung up before Hester could answer and hurried back to where Scott was standing. She told him what was going on and the second the game was over, Emily was there and they were heading out to the parking lot after promising her that they'd call as soon as they knew something. Neither of them spoke all the way across town, but they held hands tightly as Scott ran every light that he could get away with. They practically hit a parked car as they careened into the lot, grabbing the first available space. They found Gran and Hes in the emergency waiting room.

"How is he? Have you seen him yet? Has the doctor been out? What's going on?"

Gran wrapped an arm around Desi's shoulders, squeezing her granddaughter into her side. "We don't know anything yet. Now, you come sit down beside me, and we'll hear something soon, ok?"

Desi nodded distractedly, trying not to imagine what could be going on behind those swinging doors. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seemed like hours later when a nurse came to tell them that the doctor would meet with all of them in a private waiting room. They followed her back, Scott leading the way, then Gran and Hester, and Desi in the back. They all walked into the room to see a distinguished looking older man already waiting for them in scrubs and a white coat. He smiled warmly and shook hands with each of them before motioning for the family to sit.

"Now then, I've examined Mr. Humphries, and he has, in fact, had a heart attack. It was mild, but it's serious nonetheless. He'll need to make some lifestyle changes: cut back on the heavy lifting, eat better, do some physical therapy, things of that nature. He'll also be put on some new medications along with some herbal supplements that have shown to help in this area as well. I have no doubt that this was scary, for him as well as the rest of you, but I want you to look at this as a wake-up call. He can't continue to put stress on his body like he has been, not at his advanced age. It's going to be a big adjustment for everyone, but it needs to happen." He looked at each of them in turn before continuing. "Now, I'm keeping him for a few days for observation, but after that, he'll be free to go home. You can all see him for a few minutes, but then I'd like for him to get some rest."

He shook hands with them all again before leaving them to be escorted by the nurse to their dad's room. Desi had to grab Scott's hand when they walked into his room because she felt the floor tilt at the sight of their dad laying there looking so frail, an oxygen mask over his face and IV's coming from his hands. Her brother gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked closer to the bed. Desi watched as Gran leaned over and kissed her son gently on the forehead, crying quietly as she brushed the hair out of his face.

"You scared the life out of me son, and that's not good at my age. How are you feeling?"

Desi watched as her father moved the oxygen mask and smiled wanly before nodding. "I've felt better, but I certainly felt worse earlier." He brought a shaky hand up to wipe the tears from his mother's face. "Don't worry, Ma. I'll be right as rain before you know it. I just need some rest, I think. I've just been pushing myself hard these last few months, what with all the repairs and updates that need to be done."

Desi felt a stab of guilt at his words and had to swallow a sob before it came out of her mouth. He was here because she felt the need to leave. If she hadn't, he wouldn't be in this shape. She took a deep breath before moving to his other side and taking his hand.

"Well, don't worry dad. From now on, I'll be here to take care of everything. All you need to worry about is getting better."

Her dad patted her hand as she ignored the look she was getting from Hester. They stayed for a few more minutes before the nurse told them that they could come back tomorrow. Scott and Gran went to pick up Hester's kids while she and Desi went to get a pizza for dinner. Desi managed to ignore the way she was muttering to herself until she smacked the steering wheel hard while they were sitting at a red light.

"You know that dad didn't mean what he said as a guilt trip for you, Des. He's just tired. He knows that you did the right thing by moving to London, and he wouldn't have it be any other way."

Desi shrugged, turning to stare out the passenger side window. "It doesn't matter how he meant it. It's simple. If I had been here, he wouldn't have had the added stress that he's been under." She finally turned to look her straight in the eye. "You're not going to change my mind. I'm staying here, where I belong."


	17. Break-Ups And Emails

_A Week Later_

 

_I think we need to talk whenever you have a chance. There have been some developments here.  
DH_

Desi hit send and let out a slow breath. She'd run it through her mind so many times during the last week, and she could really see no other option. She had no idea when she'd be able to go back to London, if ever, and it simply wasn't fair to keep stringing Idris along. He would make someone a great husband someday, but it wouldn't be her. Desi had made up her mind to take care of the B&B, against her sister and brother's wishes. It was honestly the only option that she could see.

Hester certainly couldn't do it and take care of four kids, and Scott had his own life and family to think about. Desi was the only logical choice, and she would do it without complaint, just like always. If she was going to be honest with herself, it wasn't Idris that was bothering her. It was not seeing Tom again. She feared that she'd let her feelings for him get stronger than a friendship should be, and she was going to pay for that in spades. Desi had decided to cut herself off from him as well. It was the only real answer. That way, she wouldn't be so hurt when he also eventually found the woman for him. Her thoughts were interrupted by Hester as she walked into the kitchen where Desi was sitting at the table looking at the financials for the inn.

"What's up, Hes?"

She shrugged as she sat across from her sister at the table. "Not much. The baby is napping and Em has the three older kids for the afternoon. I thought we might have a chance to talk." She nodded at Desi's phone laying on the table. "Have you talked to Idris yet? Or Tom?"

Desi took a slow sip from the glass of whiskey in front of her and gave Hester a small grin. "They're filming, but I'm sure Idris will call when he gets a chance. As for Tom... I don't plan on talking to him."

Hester just stared Desi down for a moment before replying. "So you're just gonna leave whatever this is between the two of you hanging there, forever."

Desi shook her head. "There's nothing between Tom and I but friendship, and he'll forget about that soon enough."

"I call bullshit, sis. There is something between the two of you, even if you refuse to see it. You would never call it love, but I sure as hell would."

She glared at Hes. "So what if it is? Don't you think he deserves better than me? I sure as hell do."

Hester slapped her hand down on the table, making Desi jump. "Dammit, Des! What's so bad about you?"

Desi gave her a disbelieving look, then shook her head. "You've got to be kidding. Look at me, Hes! I'm quickly approaching middle age with nothing to show for it. I'm knee-deep in re-writes for a book that will probably never be published, I have no husband or kids, I just borrow yours or Scott's on occasion. I can't even keep my boyfriend happy, and now, because I couldn't keep my ass at home where it belonged, our father is recuperating from a heart attack! If I was Tom, I'd run as fast as he could away from me."

Hester stares at her in disbelief before shaking her head. "Do you hear yourself? At all? You were courageous enough to turn a hobby into a potential career. You met a man that is probably the man of your dreams, literally, through that same hobby. If you'd just give him a chance, you might just have that husband and kids. You don't "borrow" my children. You help me raise them. You have, at the moment, a gorgeous, wonderful man as a boyfriend, but he isn't the one you're supposed to be with. As far as our dad goes, he knew he was doing too much and didn't ask for help from me or Scott. That's not on you, dear sister, that's on him." She stopped for a moment to collect herself. Desi could see the tears shining in her eyes as Hester looked at her once again. "Stop trying to take on everyone's problems. You can't heal everything. You can't fix us like a leaky faucet. You've been the mother hen to all of us since mom died, but you have to stop. You're going to ruin your own life trying to fix everyone else's."

Before Desi could offer a rebuttal, she got up and quickly left the room. Desi just sat there, staring at the paperwork in front of her, and trying not to break down herself.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Two Days Later_

Tom yelled for whoever was knocking on his trailer door to come in as he made himself a sandwich. He heard Idris say his name and turned to smile at him but it faded when he saw the frown on Idris's face as he slumped on the small couch.

"What's wrong with you?" He motioned to the ham and bread on the counter. "Want a sammie?"

Idris shook his head. "No thanks, mate. I just got off the phone with Desi." He gave him a sad smile. "She broke up with me."

Tom sat down across from him with a sigh. "I'm sorry, mate, but weren't you going to do the same to her?"

He nodded, stealing a crisp from Tom's plate. "Yeah, but that isn't why I'm down. Her dad had a heart attack. She's not coming back to London. I tried to talk her out of staying there, but she wouldn't hear me at all."

Tom just stared at Idris slack-jawed for a moment before recovering his ability for speech. "No! No, no, no... how am I supposed to... she can't do that! Perhaps if I speak to her. I mean, I've tried calling and texting the last few days, but she hasn't answered me. If I could get her to listen... "

Idris was shaking his head before Tom had even finished speaking. "That won't work, mate. She was quite clear on the fact that you needed to move on as well. It seems we are both kicked to the curb."

Tom looked at him in shock, not really sure what to do. Finally, he grabbed his laptop and logged into his email. He remembered her sending him a final one and he had never answered... yes, there it was. Maybe it was time he did. Idris told TOm that he'd see him later as he sat thinking. Tom just nodded, staring off into space as the door closed behind his friend. He re-read the email he had never answered as his mind worked on his reply.

_Tom,_

_First off, I want to thank you for believing in my potential. If not for you, I probably would never have seriously considered a career as a writer, thinking that my writing was just a hobby to pass the time. You're the first person who ever cared for me just simply because they wanted to, not because they were related to me. Because of you, I am giving my first original work a heavy once over for possible publication. Thank you for being a friend to me, for however brief a time that was true, I will never forget you. You are a wonderful man, deserving of everything beautiful that life has to offer, and I sincerely hope that you receive it. I hope one day to be deserving of such a man. Someone just like you._

_All my love,  
Desi_

Tom let his fingers fly furiously over the keys, pouring his heart out through his fingers. He just had to hope that this would work, because his only other option would be to find out where she was and crawl there on his hands and knees.


	18. Tears And Regret

_One Week Later_

Desi sat staring at her laptop on the coffee table in front of her while the kids watched Trolls on the big screen. She'd ignored all attempts by Tom in the last week to reach her by call and text, but when she got the notification earlier that he had emailed her, she had lost her resolve. She was just about to click on the email in question when Hester came sailing into the room, baby in her arms, and looking like a beauty queen. She laid the baby on her busy mat beside the couch and twirled in front of her surprised sister. 

"What do you think?"

Desi gave her a considering look then nodded. "You look great. A little overdressed for the 400th viewing of Trolls, but great."

Hester snickered then blushed as she studied the flower pattern on the old carpet. "Yeah, about that. Ummm... Gran said she'd help you with the kids tonight. I have a date."

Desi stared at her in shock for a moment before she recovered. She didn't know why it never dawned on her that Hes would move on and want to date again. "I... ok, that's fine. Who are you going out with?"

She grinned. "You're going to make fun, but... Elmer Watkins."

Desi knew her mouth fell open in surprise because she had to snap it back shut. "What... how... "

Hes sighed as she smoothed a wrinkle from her skirt. "I saw him at the supermarket and he asked me out, and I thought, why not? I mean, I haven't been out with a man in a long time. He's not as bad as you think he is, Des."

Desi sighed and shook her head. "Hes, I'm not the one going out with him, so it doesn't matter what I think." She winked and smiled. "Go, have fun."

Hester chuckled and happened to look down at her laptop, her smile turning to a frown. "Is that... do I see Tom's email address there? Did he write to you? Have you read it yet?"

Desi shook her head and rubbed her neck with a suddenly nervous hand. "No, and I don't know if I want to. It's not going to change my mind."

Hes nodded, but looked sad. "I know because you're a stubborn brat, but I still think you should read it. You never know. Maybe he's going to declare his undying love for you and move here to help patch drywall and leaky faucets."

Desi rolled her eyes as Hester kissed each of the kids and by the time she had said goodnight to each one, they heard the doorbell, then their dad talking to Elmer. Desi snickered as he sister hurried out to meet her date. She was right when she said that Elmer wasn't a bad guy. He really wasn't, he just wasn't the man for Desi. She really could see Hester and Elmer as a couple.

Tyler requested more popcorn so she went to make it, still trying to decide whether to read Tom's email. She supposed she would at least have some closure because she was sure he was just telling her goodbye, but why did the thought of reading those words cause her to feel a crushing sadness? She shook her head at her foolishness as she passed the popcorn off to the apparently starving kids and went back to staring at the computer screen. She finally clicked on the email and read what he had to say.

_My Love,_

_Yes, the salutation is correct, not a mistake. You see, Desi, I have discovered that I am indeed in love with you: irrevocably and permanently. I realized recently that I've been that way for a while now. In your last email to me, you said a lot of very flattering things about me, and I hope that you still believe them, but I feel the need to apologize to you once again for the horrendous way I treated you. I am truly sorry, darling, and if I can, I will make it up to you, I promise. I want you to understand something, so please read this next part carefully. I didn't fall in love with your looks, or your writing ability, or the adorable way you cock your head to the side when trying to work something out in your mind, or your infectious laugh. Although I adore all of those things about you, those aren't the reasons you hold my heart in your hands. It's the compassion you show for others, the unending love you have for your family and friends. I have no doubt that you would step in front of a bullet or a speeding train for someone you love, and that courage is what makes me love you. The decisions you are having to make now are some of the hardest you will ever face, and though I wish that I were there by your side to help you, I can understand why I'm not. I want you to know that my love is unconditional and unwavering. I'll be here, if and when you decide that you have room for me in your life. I do hope that you continue to write, Desi. You are so good at it and the world is waiting with bated breath to read what you have to say. I'll be right here, darling... waiting..._

_Yours always,  
Tom_

Desi sat there with a hand over her mouth, trying to hold in the sobs wanting to come out. She stood up quickly and ran into the kitchen where Gran was doing the dinner dishes. "Gran, I need you to watch the kids for a bit, ok? I have somewhere to go."

She nodded and turned to smile at Desi, but at the look on her face, it turned to a concerned frown. "Darlin, you ok? You look ready to bust out crying."

Desi nodded quickly, trying to plaster a smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm good, there's just something I need to do."

Gran agreed to watch the kids and before she could ask anything else, Desi was grabbing her keys from the counter and running out the front door. She was aware that she was driving a little too fast for backcountry roads in the dark, but she didn't slow down until she reached her destination. Because it was past dusk, she had to park and jump the low fence around the property. When she reached her mama's grave, Desi dropped to her knees in front of her headstone and just let the tears flow.

Ever since she had died, every time Desi had something bothering me, she'd come here. She knew she wasn't really there, but she supposed it was symbolic for her, besides being peaceful. Desi had thought through a lot of problems here, but this time she just needed a quiet space to let everything out. The pain, the guilt, the resentment, the utter heartbreak that she was feeling come pouring out in waves, the sobs shaking her shoulders as she leaned forward on her hands with her head hanging down.

"What do I do, mama? I wish you were here to tell me. I love Tom, God knows I do, but how do I turn my back on dad? How do I leave everyone here for my own selfish needs? I want nothing more than anyone else does. Why does it always have to be so hard?"

Desi sat there for a while, letting her tears dry up and just listening to the night sounds. She knew she wouldn't get one, but she wished there was an answer coming on the breeze blowing through the trees.


	19. Trick Or Treat

_Halloween_

Desi followed behind a fairy princess, Batman, Iron Man, and her personal favorite, Loki, as they walked down the main street of town collecting candy. Scott walked on one side of her and Emily on the other. Emily and Desi looked behind themselves at Hester and Elmer bringing up the rear and making goo-goo eyes at each other. Desi turned to Emily and made gagging noises and she snickered, causing Scott to give them both dirty looks. 

"Can you two act your age, please? Leave Hester and Elmer alone. I think they're adorable."

Desi nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "I do too, Scott. I'm just playing around."

She saw Emily give Scott a pointed look and a slight nod before he cleared his throat. "So, you know the cabin is sitting empty this time of year. Why don't you take a long weekend and head up there? You could have some quiet time, sleep, write... I don't know, whatever you wanted to do."

Desi gave him a grin. Yes, she knew the cabin their dad had bought when they were kids was empty right now. It sat in the foothills of the Smokies and their dad used to take the kids with him hunting when they were younger. They hadn't used it in years, but their dad kept it just in case any of them wanted to use it for a vacation spot. He usually rented it out during the peak season, but now with it getting into the holiday season, everyone stayed closer to Nashville.

"I know it's there, Scott. I don't have time to take off right now. Maybe after the holidays and everything slows down a bit." 

Scott sighed and shook his head. "Sis, it's not going to get any slower than it is right now. Honestly, when's the last time the inn had paying guests? You're exhausted. You need to re-charge your batteries before you run completely down."

Desi bristled a little at his tone like she was a child needing to be reprimanded. "Gran was talking to a potential guest just this morning. It sounds like it will be a rather large group if they decide to come here. I'm still catching up on all the things that went by the wayside while I was gone, and with dad out of commission now, it takes me more time, that's all. I'm fine, by the way." She decided to shut this conversation down before it could get any further out of control. She whistled and four kids turned to look in their direction. "Ok, guys, Gran has soup and grilled cheese waiting on us back at the house. Let's go."

After they all got back to the inn, and the kids were fed, Desi took a glass of whiskey into the living room with her as she went to see what Gran and dad were watching on tv. Scott, Emily, and Hester had all left with their offspring, leaving the house very quiet. She heard a very familiar voice as she entered the room, and she was struck speechless as she saw Tom as Prince Hal on the big screen, giving the St. Crispin's Day speech. Desi stood there for a moment before she quickly said goodnight to her Gran and dad, taking the stairs two at a time to her room. She didn't stop until she had her bedroom door shut and locked behind herself as if the actual Tom was chasing after her.

She shook her head at her own foolishness as she got ready for bed. She needed to get over this, she really did. Desi had nobody but herself to blame for the shape her life was in, and she couldn't keep avoiding everything that had to do with Tom. Desi couldn't watch him in a film or even see a book by Shakespeare without thinking of him. No matter what he wrote in that last email, she knew she had to have hurt him because she had hurt herself. Yes, her wounds were self-inflicted, but they hurt just as badly.

She knew that in time, it would fade, and soon, she'd become a memory for him. She just hoped it was a good one,  and that he chose to remember her from when they had been friends.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Desi walked downstairs to find the kitchen a small hive of activity. Her dad was looking for something on Amazon as Gran finished up a phone call. The second she hung up, she pointed a finger at her grandchild.

"You! Sometime today, I need the fall decorations out of the barn, and I'll make a list of some new things that I'll need you to get from town as well."

Desi nodded, snagging an apple from the bowl on the table. "I'll get to it this afternoon. I've got a new plumbing issue in #4."

"See that you do, because we've got to get this place ready. I just secured us a two-week booking for a party of ten, and the man said there might even be more. We'll need every available room to accommodate them all. I'll get with you after dinner tonight to work out the sleeping arrangements. I'm thinking your dad and I may have to stay with Scott and Hester while they're here, just coming in during the day. Surely you can handle anything they may need at night."

Desi just stared at her for a moment, totally speechless, before she came back to herself again. "Wow! That's a large party. Are they coming in for a convention or something?"

Gran shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose I'll find that out in due time. All I know is that they want a traditional Thanksgiving. I told the man in charge of the group that they could all eat with the family, and he was fine with that."

Desi nodded, her mind working out the financials for a party that size. With that much money, there were quite a few improvements she would be able to work on through the winter months. She kissed her dad on the cheek as she grabbed another apple from the table and headed back upstairs, preparing to install a new toilet.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom sat listening to Ben and Anna talk about a trip they took to Majorca as they waited to be called out to the stage. They were doing a press conference for Infinity Wars and he was pretty sure every superhero that Marvel had was there today, so many in fact that they had to go out in shifts.

He saw Robert come through the door and smiled at his friend as he came to sit next to Tom on the love seat. He lightly punched him in the arm and winked at Anna before nodding a greeting to Ben.

"So, what are we discussing? Peace on earth? Whether New England will win another Super Bowl?" Tom laughed as Ben explained that he and Anna just returned from a long vacation. Robert nodded before chuckling. "That's awesome, but I need you to be ready to take another vacation in a couple of weeks. All of you, clear your schedules."

Tom gave him a confused look. "Just where are we going?"

He bit his lip before nodding to himself. "We're all going to spend Thanksgiving together. As the little dysfunctional family that we are."

Ben grinned at Tom before shaking his head at Robert. "I don't know if you've noticed, mate, but we don't celebrate Thanksgiving, being British and all."

Robert just threw his head back and laughed before answering. "Well, this year you are. Besides, Anna is American, don't you miss the food and the family time?"

Anna seemed to consider his question before answering. "I do, I really do. This sounds like a wonderful idea, Robert."

Robert looked at Tom and reached over to lightly slap him in the back of the head. "Besides all that, Tom is about to have something to be really thankful for."


	20. Life Is What You Make Of It

"So, they'll be arriving the week before Thanksgiving and will leave the Saturday after."

Desi nodded as Gran looked over a list of things that had been requested. It wasn't too bad, considering how big the group was, and nothing too over-the-top. Earl Gray tea, which they already had, Hobnobs, which Desi would have to look for, and cheesecake. Those were a few of the things they wanted, plus some everyday items that she was sure they'd find with no problem.

"Do we know what day they are arriving? Will they need transportation from the airport, or are they getting a car? Did we get a final head count?"

Gran grinned as she looked over her list. "Let's see here. They'll be arriving on the twelfth and leaving on the twenty-sixth. They have their own transportation, so that's taken care of. I have a total of ten people, three couples, so that means three double rooms and four singles."

Desi nodded, chewing on her bottom lip in thought for a moment before answering her. "Ok, so we have the two rooms on the main floor, those are both doubles. Rooms three and four are both doubles, then five and six are singles. Can we put two of the singles in the same room?"

Gran scratched her head for a moment before nodding. "We should be able to. If not, we'll figure something out."

Desi nodded, grinning at her. "You know what? Nevermind, we'll put one up in my room. It wouldn't be the first time I've slept on the hideaway bed in the family room."

Gran reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "You're a good sport, Desi. I would say I'd share my room with you, but we both know I snore like a chainsaw. You wouldn't get any rest at all that way. There's always the barn, but we haven't gotten around to putting heat out there yet."

Desi shook her head as she stood up. "The family room will be fine. I'll just put my things in your room to change and whatnot." She grabbed her keys off the counter. "Ok, I need to head into town for some supplies. We only have a week before they'll be here." Something occurred to her and she turned back to her grandmother with a frown on her face. "They asked for Hobnobs. Is one of them British?"

She watched Gran look everywhere but at her before shrugging. "I don't know, the man didn't say. Does it matter?"

Desi shrugged back. "No, not really. I was just curious." She grinned at her grandmother. "You keep calling the person "the man". Did he not give you a name?"

Gran rolled her eyes at her as she started shuffling the papers in front of her. "Of course he did, but you know how bad I am at remembering names. It's here somewhere in this mess." She looked up at Desi, who gives her a confused look at the sudden sadness on her face. "You love this old house, don't you, Desi?"

Desi shrugged. "Well, it's our home, so I pretty much have to, don't I?" She leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head. "You know what I love more though?" She shook her head and Desi smiled. "My family. I love all of you more than anything."

Gran nodded, sniffing a little. "I know you do, lovely, and we all love you too, but I think maybe you think we're safe. That nothing ever changes here. That won't always be the case, Desi."

Desi nodded as she grabbed her hoodie just in case she might need it later. "I know, Gran. Nothing really stays the same, but until something changes, this is right where I'll be." 

She waved as she walked out the back door, letting it swing shut behind her. She couldn't help but wonder what had Gran in such a mood, but she quickly chalked it up to worry about her dad. He was her only child after all. It must be hard to handle him having such medical problems, and at her age as well. At over ninety, Gran seemed spry and young at heart, but she really wasn't. She had her own medical concerns as well, and Desi was sure her dad's heart attack had added unwanted stress. As she pulled out of the driveway, she made a vow to do more for Gran around the house too. She probably just needed a rest.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hester heard the phone ring as she put the baby down for her nap and ran to answer it before it woke her back up. These afternoon naps that the girls took while the older two were in school were really the only break she got throughout the day. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Gran calling. She answered with a frown.

"Hey, Gran. Everything ok?"

"No, everything is not ok. I think your sister is starting to suspect something."

She sighed as she grinned at her grandmother's apparent frustration. "Look, Scott and I both told you to be honest and tell her beforehand, but no, you and dad decided a surprise attack was in order."

"Well, we can't tell her now! She'll run for the hills, literally! You know that girl will fight us tooth and nail over this. I just need you to help distract her until they finally get here. I can't have her looking at the paperwork."

"You had better hide it then. What has her so curious? She doesn't usually ask too many questions about potential guests. She just leaves that in your hands."

She heard Gran sigh on the other end. "Oh, one of the requests was Hobnobs, you know, the cookie? She wanted to know if one of the guests was British. I almost passed out right there, I tell you. My old heart isn't built for espionage."

Hester chuckled at the old woman as she heard a car pull into the driveway. She looked out the window and saw Desi getting out of her Jeep. "Well, guess who just pulled up to my house? Ok, Gran, I'll do what I can. Talk to you later."

She laid her phone down just as Des walked in the front door. "Hey, Hes. I wanted to see if you wanted to go shopping with me?"

Hes nodded as Desi walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee. Her big sis ran on caffeine and very little sleep. "I can as soon as the girls wake up from their naps. We can drop them off to Emily and then see if she'll watch the others when they get home from school."

Desi nodded as she quickly downed her coffee, walking over to get more. "That works." She paused, biting her lip, and Hester knew right then that something was bothering her. "So, I think there's something up with this booking that we have coming up. Gran seems really weird about it. You think there isn't one? That she made it up? I don't know, maybe her mind is finally going."

Hester snickered at her as Desi rolled her eyes at her. "No, there really is a booking. I was there when the guy called about something the other day. They seem really excited."

Desi nodded. "Ok. You didn't happen to catch the guy's name, did you? Gran couldn't remember it."

Hester tapped her bottom lip with her finger, pretending to think about it for a moment. "You know... it's something like... Bob? Bill? Boyd?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I can't remember. Does it matter?"

"I guess not. It's just weird like I said. I know one thing. I'll be glad when Thanksgiving is over this year."

Hester hid her grin behind her own cup of coffee. "It's sure going to interesting, I can say that."


	21. Hobnobs And Turkey

"Gran wants to know what's taking you so long? Your guests should be here any minute now." 

Desi rolled her eyes at her sister's annoyed voice, eyeing the line of people in front of her. "I can't make the lines move faster than they will. After here, I have to go to the international store across town for the Hobnobs. Ask Gran if she needs anything from the liquor store while I'm on that side of town." Desi could hear them conferring on the other end of the line and rolled her eyes again. "Look, I'll call back when I get there."

She hung up before Hester could answer and grabbed a tabloid off the rack to pass the time. She opened it to page two and was met with a picture of Tom smiling at something Robert Downey Jr. had said with an article wondering what the Avengers were doing for Thanksgiving. Desi snorted as she turned to the next page, thinking that any reporter worth his or her salt would know that that the British don't celebrate Thanksgiving, not to mention the fact that Loki wasn't an Avenger, he was the villain, for goodness sake. She turned back to the picture, drinking in Tom's smiling face, wishing for a moment that she could see that face in person.

Desi sighed and slapped the tabloid back into the display as the person in front of her finished paying for their groceries. She smiled at the cashier, a young girl named Cindy, as she started ringing up her groceries. The young girl shook her head and laughed a little.

"I swear I've been working too many hours lately. I would swear that the Sherlocks came through my line a few minutes ago to buy cigarettes. Crazy, huh?"

Desi gave her a strange look before replying. "You mean Benedict Cumberbatch?"

Cindy nodded, grinning at her. "Yeah, and Robert Downey Jr. Both Sherlocks." She laughed again as she rung up the turkey. "I'm telling you, the holidays are starting to get to me."

Desi chuckled as she pulled out her wallet. "I would say so, yeah. I mean, what in the devil would they be doing here of all places? Hooper, Georgia is about as far from Hollywood as you can get."

Cindy nodded as she started bagging Desi's groceries. "That's true, but you know those big movie studios use small towns all the time for their movies. Maybe that's why they're here."

Desi winked at her as she put her wallet away and grabbed her bags. "If they were here at all. Have a great Thanksgiving Cindy. Say hi to your mama for me, now."

Cindy nodded and laughed. "Yes, ma'am. You have a good Thanksgiving too, Miss Humphries."

As Desi walked to the truck, she shook her head, marveling at the fact that little Cindy Hughes worked at the Piggly Wiggly now. She had graduated with her mother, for Christ's sake. Sometimes it was hard to believe that people her age had grown children. She felt a little bit sad at the thought as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed across town to the liquor store.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm telling you, Des is gonna freak out! You should have told her before they got here."

Hester was trying to ignore the fact that at the moment, several movie stars and some of their wives were in the living room, currently chatting with her dad and Scott as she yelled at Gran in the kitchen. She jumped when she heard the voice of Iron Man from directly behind her.

"Yeah, that would be my fault. I thought it best if Desi didn't know that we were coming. Give us the element of surprise and all that."

Hester turned a baleful glare in his direction, well as baleful as she could manage considering who he was and all. "You didn't think she'd go ballistic when she saw Tom in her childhood home? You all didn't think this through very well, did you?"

Hester watched him cross his arms in front of his chest and stare her down with those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes and felt herself melting under his scrutiny. "On the contrary, Hester, I believe we did. Look, she's going to be shocked, sure, but I think Tom has waited long enough for her, don't you?" He smirked as she averted her eyes from his, not willing to admit that he was probably right. "Two weeks under the same roof will work, trust me. You haven't seen our boy in action. He'll charm the pants off of her, literally I hope." He cut his eyes to Gran, wincing slightly. "Sorry. That was inappropriate."

Gran just chuckled and patted him on the cheek. "Nonsense, son. You're right. I hope he can convince her that she belongs with him in London." Hester turned a shocked face to Gran, who just snorted at her. "What? You think I'm too senile to see what's right under our noses? She's in love with that young man, and we all know it. Even she knows it, the stubborn brat."

Hester just shook her head. "Yeah, but... what about this place? The upkeep on it? You said yourself that you and dad can't do it by yourselves anymore... "

Gran waved a hand at her. "You just let me and your dad worry about that." They heard a car pull up in front of the house, then a door shutting. Hester ran to look out the window and saw Desi grabbing bags from the bed of the truck. She heard Gran snicker and turned to see her punch Robert lightly in the arm before pushing him toward the living room. "It's showtime, son."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi walked into an unusually quiet house, wondering where everyone was. She shrugged as she walked into the kitchen to put down the first load of bags. She saw Gran and Hester standing at the counter, looking through a cookbook.

"Where is everyone? It's so quiet in here."

Desi watched them look up from the book in front of them, but not at her. They were looking at something behind her. Before she could turn around, she heard a voice she'd only ever heard coming from her television or the movie theater speakers. "This must be Desi. We've all heard a lot about you."

She slowly turned to see Robert Downey Jr. smiling at her. At his side was a beautiful woman that Desi assumed was his wife, then Benedict Cumberbatch and another beautiful woman. Beside her was Idris, smiling at her with a petite blonde on his arm. Behind him was Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Jeff Goldblum. She turned back to look at a now smiling Gran and Hester before hearing another very familiar voice. Desi didn't even have to turn around to know who was now standing behind her. 

"Hello, darling."


	22. I Told You I'd Wait

"Hello, darling."

Desi blinked, thinking that perhaps she was in some kind of dream state, maybe brought on by stress. There was absolutely no way that Tom and half of the Avengers were standing in the middle of her kitchen. When she opened her eyes again, they were all still standing there, most now looking amused, especially Tom. The corners of his eyes were crinkled up, just how she liked them... stop it! Before she could say anything at all, Tom stepped forward, a hand out to her, which made her take a step backward. Desi felt the counter hit her square in the back as she heard Hes snickering from behind her. 

"Desi, let me introduce you to everyone. You've already met Robert. The gorgeous lady beside him is his wife, Susan. You are already well acquainted with Ben and Anna, and you obviously already know Idris. This is his new girlfriend, Margery. Behind them is Mark, Jeff, and Chris. I believe that's everyone."

Desi gave a tentative smile to everyone, which was returned. She glanced at Idris and smiled the first genuine smile since she had returned home. "It's nice to meet everyone. Idris, you are looking happy. I'm so glad to see that." She glanced over at Tom, who looked quite happy with the situation at hand. She cleared her throat and tried to sound like a normal person. "Tom, you look...exceptionally fine. I mean... " 

Everyone started laughing as Tom just smirked with that one eyebrow raised. He stepped closer and leaned in to speak quietly. "Desi, darling, you look absolutely fabulous, but perhaps a bit tired." 

He stepped in even closer, and Desi's mind went into panic mode. "Scott! Help me with the groceries!"

Before Tom could lay a hand on her, which he, in fact, looked like he was ready to do, she made a beeline for the back door. "Darling, I can help with that. Scott is helping Ty with his maths."

She shook her head, beyond dismayed that Tom was already calling her nephew by his nickname and her brother by his first. "Math. He's helping with his math."

Tom nodded, grinning. This was an old joke between them, and Desi fell into it without thinking. "Yes, Desi, that's what I said. He's helping with his maths."

She shook her head. "No, it's math... you know what, nevermind. You can't help, you're a guest. Go do guest... things." Desi looked behind herself at Hester. "Hes! Find something for these nice people to do, won't you?"

Desi was pacing beside the truck when Scott appeared to help her with the rest of the groceries. He grins at her as she paced past him. "You're handling this better than I thought you would, I'll say that."

Desi turned to stare at him, holding up her finger and thumb about an inch from each other. "Seriously?! I'm about this close to losing my shit, baby brother! How... why... who's idea was this, anyway?!"

Scott scratched his head as he leaned against the passenger door of Desi's truck. "Well, from what I've managed to put together, it was Robert's idea, then he got Gran on board, and it kind of snowballed from there. I'm almost positive that Tom wasn't in on the planning stages of the operation."

She resumed pacing, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, Scott stepped in front of her, halting her progress. "Move, please."

He shook his head. "No. Look, sis, you need to just calm down and roll with it. This could be a good thing. It will give you and Tom a chance to re-connect."

Desi slapped herself on the forehead. "Dammit, Scott! That's exactly what I don't want to happen. I mean, why? Why would Gran go along with this? She knows how I feel about him. Why would she push him into my personal space?"

Scott shrugged as he walked around to the tailgate of the truck. "Your guess is as good as mine, sis, but I think maybe you need to just relax and see what happens."

She blew out an exasperated breath as they walked back into the house to find Gran motioning for everyone to leave the kitchen. She turned and smiles at Desi as Tom followed behind her. "I'm going to show everyone where their rooms are. I'm giving Tom your room, Des. I thought he'd appreciate the irony."

She heard Tom snicker before he turned to wink at her. "Are we sharing, Desi?"

She couldn't help but grin at him, making his smirk widen. "No, Casanova, we're not. I'm sleeping in the family room."

He laughed as he ducked his head sheepishly. "Well, you can't blame a man for trying, darling."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom fell back on the bed after Gran left him in the attic bedroom. He had to stoop a little to stand but other than that, he was beyond thrilled with the accommodations. The only thing that would have made it better was if Desi had indeed been sharing the bed with him. He grinned as he remembered the shocked look on her face. So far, Robert had been right. She wasn't exactly happy to see him, or any of the rest of them for that matter, but she wasn't throwing him out either. Tom just had to hope that the next two weeks would be enough to convince her of his feelings and that she would return them. 

He opened his eyes to look around the bedroom of the woman he loved. He saw very little in the way of personal effects, but that was probably because she wouldn't have known who was going to be in her room. Tom opened the drawer of the bedside table and saw her hand lotion, some lip gloss and a journal under a box of tissues. He touched the cover of the journal with the tips of my fingers, itching to pick it up and read her deepest thoughts, but he stopped himself. If he played his hand right, he'd be able to hear them directly from her. Tom laid back and stared up at the ceiling, working out in his head his next move. He was grinning as he dozed off for a short nap.


	23. One More Time With Feeling

Two days. It's been two days since they were invaded, and Desi had done a pretty good job of avoiding being alone or even in the same room as Tom. Oh, she hadn't been able to get around it completely, but for the most part, she'd succeeded. Of course, he had practically become a member of the family in those two days, which didn't really surprise her. Tom had a way about him that just made him so easy to be around. He could talk fly-fishing with her dad, and tennis with Scott. He regaled Gran with stories about his own grandmother and treated Hester as his own sister.

Presently, Desi was hiding in the laundry room off of the kitchen, folding some towels and generally hiding from everyone, when Hester walked in and shut the door after herself. She folded her arms across her chest and glared down her nose at Desi. 

"What are you doing in here? Tom's been looking everywhere for you."

"I'm folding towels. What does he want?"

Hes shrugged, picking up a towel to help. "I don't know, but I think he wants to take a walk in the woods and thought you might like to go with him. You should, you know. It would give you two a chance to talk."

Desi scoffed as she put the folded towel in her hands down on the table with a soft thud. "That's the last thing that we need to do."

Hester gave up all pretense of helping as she pointed a finger at her oldest sibling. "What is your problem? Do you understand that he's here only because he wanted to spend time with you? What's so bad about that?"

"He's just impossible! He helped Scott teach Ty how to ride his bike, and he had a tea party with Carlie and Pru, complete with tiaras and pink feather boas."

Hester snickered at that as she nodded. "I know. Everyone loves him and the kids just adore him. He'll make a wonderful father someday. Why does that bother you?"

Desi threw her hands up in exasperation. "He just makes it so hard!"

Hester frowned at her in confusion. "What does he make so hard, sweetie? I don't understand."

"He makes it hard for me not to love him!"

Desi realized what she'd said as Hester does, a smile spreading across her face even as Desi's crumpled in despair. She wrapped her arms around Desi and pulled her in for a hug, whispering in her ear as she rocked back and forth.

"Honey, that isn't a bad thing. I'm just glad you finally admitted it to yourself. Now, you just have to let him in on the secret."

Desi shook her head as she pulled out of Hester's embrace. "It's no use. He'll leave after Thanksgiving and I'll be in the same boat I was in, just with more feelings to deal with."

Hester just shook her head as she walked towards the door. "I wish you weren't as stubborn as you are. Life would be so much easier for you, Des. It's up to you, of course, but Desi? Even if you never tell him, the feelings you have won't go away."

After she left, Desi finished folding the towels. She walked out to find everyone in the kitchen making sandwiches. She looked at Idris. "Have you seen Tom?"

He nodded, pointing in the direction of the family room. "He's having a chat with Tyler, I believe. I'm surprised that you're looking for him. He's beginning to think he shouldn't have come."

Desi bit her lip before shaking her head. "I didn't mean for him to feel that way. I'll go talk to him."

Idris just smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "See that you do, young lady."

Desi gave him a grin and set off down the hall to the family room, stopping when she reached the doorway. She could hear Tyler talking then Tom answering him and she had to stop to catch her breath.

"You love Aunt Desi?"

Tom laughed shyly before clearing his throat. "Well, yes I do, but that's between us, ok?"

"Well, you are you gonna get married? Dad says that's what people do when they love each other."

"Well, Ty, I... that may or may not happen, I don't really know yet."

"Can I call you Uncle Tom?"

"I'd be honored if you called me that, thank you."

Desi felt like something broke in her chest, causing her to catch my breath on a sob. It suddenly dawned on her with total clarity: She loved this man, and no matter what, she needed him to know it. She forced her feet to carry her over the threshold into the room. She grinned at Ty as he jumped up off the floor where he and Tom were sitting to give her a hug.

"Ty, it's lunchtime. Why don't you go get a sandwich?"

He nodded and ran out of the room as Tom stood up and took a step or two in her direction. He grinned at her and at that moment Desi wanted to kiss him more than words could express.

"I thought you were avoiding me."

"I was. Well, I wasn't avoiding you so much as what you make me feel, I guess."

She cocked her head to the side and bit her lip, trying to work out what she wanted to say, and he chuckled quietly as he stepped closer and took her hand in his. "What are you thinking about, Desi?"

She shook her head as he pulled her closer, letting go of her hand to grasp her waist with one hand while the other came up to cradle her cheek. He smiled down at her and Desi was a goner. "I was wondering what you taste like. We've known each other forever but we've never kissed."

He slowly lowered his head and as his lips touched hers, Desi would have sworn that she felt the earth move. Ok, she knew that it didn't really move, but she sure felt something. She brought her hands up to weave her fingers through his hair as they heard a low wolf whistle, then coughing. Tom lifted his head and grinned as he saw Robert and Jeff standing there, grinning from ear to ear. He just chuckled but doesn't release his hold on Desi. She looked up at him and gave a lopsided grin. 

"I heard you wanted to take a walk. Perhaps now would be a good time. I could pack us a picnic lunch if you want."

"That's sounds wonderful, darling. I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes, ok?"

She nodded and started for the door, hearing good-natured ribbing coming from the friends. Desi blew out a breath as she walked down the hall. Obviously, avoiding Tom turned into an epic fail.


	24. A Walk In The Woods

After hastily throwing together a picnic lunch for the two of them, Desi led Tom off into the woods behind the house. He was hoping that he'd be able to talk to her about her decision to stay in Georgia, but he didn't want to push her. He knew from talking with Hester that she was very sensitive about the subject, but he really just wanted to know where he stood with her. If she was determined to stay there but wanted to pursue a relationship with him, then they would adjust and figure that out. After walking for a while, and engaging in small talk along the way, they broke through the tree line into an utterly idyllic setting. There was a small pond in the middle of a clearing with a few benches along the side of the water. 

Instead of heading for a bench, Desi grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him over to a grassy spot not too far from the bank, pulling a blanket out of the basket. After he helped her to spread it on the ground, they sat and started unpacking the basket of food. Tom opened the bottle of wine she had snatched from the cellar as she laid out plates of cold cuts, cheese and a freshly baked loaf of bread. After removing a small bowl of potato salad and some pickles, she chuckled to herself as she produced the last item from the basket: Hobnobs. Tom grabbed his chest and looked longingly at the package of biscuits.

"Darling, I'm yours forever."

She laughed loudly before holding the package behind her back. "Uh-huh, sure you are. These are for dessert, so eat up."

Tom winked at her as he picked up two slices of bread and started making a sandwich. Between bites, he started to subtly ask questions. hoping she wouldn't close up on him before he got the information he was looking for.

"So... have you made your decision on what you're doing?"

Desi looked at him with one brow raised as she chewed thoughtfully. "I thought I was clear about that before. I plan on staying here and helping out like I should have all along." She shook her head. "I should have never left. It just put too much strain on dad."

Tom reached over and took her hand in his. "Desi, you have to know that isn't true. Whether you were here or not, your dad wouldn't have slowed down until he was made to. I know that somewhere in there you realize that." He sighed before taking a sip of wine then looking into her eyes. He smiled and squeezed her hand. "If you could do anything in the world, anything at all, what would it be?' He sat his glass down and tapped her on the chest with his index finger, directly over her heart. "No responsibility, just your heart's desire. What would it be?"

She gave him a sad smile before squeezing his hand back. "You know my answer to that."

Tom shook his head, grinning at her as she scooted closer to his side. "No, I don't. I want to hear you say it. What would it be?"

Desi looked him directly in the eye and Tom felt his breath catch at the emotion he saw swirling through her hazel eyes. "I would be on the first plane to London. You see, there's this guy that I... well, I suppose I might love him. I'd want to be with him, wherever he is."

Tom felt his own eyes well up with emotion as he stared back at the woman who was quickly becoming the most important thing in his small world. He swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat and smiled at her. "Well, I happen to know the bloke you speak of, and I have it upon good authority that he may very well feel the same way about you, but... " He saw a look of panic flash across her face and smiled bigger. "I want you to know, that we can work through this. It's just a part of our lives, and we'll figure it out if you truly want to be with me. If that means that we both earn a lot of frequent flyer miles, then that's just how it will have to be."

"You don't mind? I mean, most men want their girlfriends to be on the same continent, and I would understand if you did. I just can't give you that right now."

Tom shook his head and leaned in to steal a kiss. "It doesn't matter. Not right now, at any rate. We have plenty of time to worry about logistics, darling."

She sighed before laying back on the blanket, pulling him down with her to watch the clouds roll by and just be still together. Tom must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, Desi was shaking him awake and telling him it was time to head home for dinner. Tom followed right behind her, content for the moment that they have resolved some things between them.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi finished helping Hester with the dishes and walked her out to her car before going in search of Gran. As she walked back inside, she saw Idris coming out of the kitchen and grinned at him. "Have you seen Gran? I needed to ask her about the grocery list for tomorrow."

He laughed and pointed in the direction of the family room. "She and Tom were in there the last time I checked. Something about showing him the family albums?"

With dawning horror, Desi vaulted past him, muttering under her breath about meddling grandmothers, much to his delight. She came to halt in the doorway of the family room, finding Gran with a photo album in her lap, and Tom snickering over something. She cleared her throat and Gran looked up first since Tom suddenly seems transfixed by one of the pictures.

"There you are, Desi! We were wondering where you got off to. I was just showing Tom some of your baby pictures."

Tom looked up at Desi with an overwhelmingly lecherous look on his face, although when he spoke, it was his normal innocent self. "Yes, darling. We just made it to the teen years. Tell me, you wouldn't still have your old cheerleading uniform, would you? Because I would love to see that."

Gran laughed and smacked Tom on the arm. "Tom, you devil! I don't think she still has it, but I will say that I bet she could still fit into it if she did."

The look Desi received at that information made her blush to the roots of her hair. He bit his lip and she watched that action with rapt attention until she saw his lips curl into a slow smile. "That's a pity. I suppose we'll have to work out something else, then."

Desi sucked in a breath, wondering what she was supposed to do with boyfriend Tom.


	25. Wrestling Practice

"Darling, there's a dripping noise in my room."

Desi looked up from the episode of The Walking Dead that she was watching to find Tom, in his pajamas, standing in the doorway to the family room. Everyone else had already gone to bed, leaving the house quiet. She gave him a perplexed look as she sat up on the pull-out bed.

"Tom, there isn't a bathroom in my room. I don't know what you would be hearing."

He shook his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know, Des, but something is dripping. A leak in the roof perhaps?"

She shook her head and swung her feet to the floor, grabbing her robe as she stood up. Desi quickly covered up her tank top and sleep shorts. "We haven't had rain in a couple of weeks. It can't be a leak in the roof. I would have noticed one before now. I'll go check it out."

Tom followed close behind her as she made her way up the stairs. "I'm so sorry to disturb you darling, but it's driving me crazy. I wouldn't have woken you otherwise."

She shook her head as she opened the door of her bedroom and stepped inside. "I wasn't asleep. I was just watching tv."

Before she could say anything else, her back was suddenly against the door and she was having the living daylights kissed out of her. It was like Tom was a starving man and Desi was the only buffet for miles. He lifted her up to his level by the waist, making her wrap her legs around his waist to anchor herself. After several minutes that had her moaning and running her fingers through his hair, he lifted his head and smiled at her.

"I'm not really sorry, Des. I couldn't take it anymore. Sleeping in your bed, surrounded by your scent on the sheets. It was driving me absolutely insane, darling. Forgive me?"

Desi pretended to think about it for a moment before grinning at him. "Only if you do that again. I liked it... a lot."

With a growl, he moved in for seconds, locking his lips on hers as his hands planted firmly on her behind as he swung away from the door toward the bed. Desi was becoming lost in the sensation of his lips moving against hers, part of her wondering why it took her this long to get here. She moaned out loud as her back hit the mattress and she felt his weight on top of her, exactly where he should be. She gave out a sigh as Tom lifted his head to give her a worried look.

"What's wrong, darling? Too soon?"

Desi bit her lip as she shook her head, reaching up to run her fingers over the sharp planes of his face. "No, I just... I feel like I've wasted so much time, you know? This could have been us ages ago, but I had to be stubborn."

Tom grinned down at her before kissing her on the nose. "Well, that's all true, but we're here now, and that's the important thing, don't you think? This isn't really the time to discuss past regrets, darling." He moved his head to nibble on the pulse point in her neck, his hand traveling up from her waist to close around her breast, squeezing slightly. "Eyes on the prize, my love. We have all night and I'm just getting started."

Desi started giggling as he bit down harder on her neck, making her squeal through her laughter. The sound of his own chuckles muffled against her neck join her as they both finally get what they've needed for so long.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The Next Morning_

 

"This is so embarrassing."

Desi heard a snicker and looked behind her as Tom pulls on a t-shirt over his perfect abs. He shook his head, still laughing quietly, as he walked over to where she was standing with her ear against the door. He pulled her back against his chest slightly as he leaned over to plant a kiss on his favorite spot on her neck.

"I really don't see what's so embarrassing, Des. Everyone out there already knows that we are together, and by now they've already discovered that you aren't in your bed in the family room. We might take some good-natured ribbing, but I think that's probably the extent of it."

She sighed before pulling away from him to walk over to her dresser, pulling out a clean shirt and a pair of jeans. "Well, I might as well go ahead and get dressed for the day. I'll meet you downstairs."

He laughed as he walked over and plopped down on the bed, evidently intent on watching her get dressed. "I can wait for you. We'll face the mob together."

By the time she was dressed and they had made it downstairs, everyone else was already gathered in the dining room for breakfast. They received knowing looks from everyone except Gran, who just looked at Desi strangely.

"Where were you? I went to wake you up, but you weren't in bed."

Desi said the first thing that occurred to her, cringing after the fact. "Tom had a leak."

She heard a loud snort come from Ben as she saw Robert lift a brow at her answer. He looked at Tom and smirked. "You should see a doctor for that, man." He laughed and reached a hand out to catch the muffin Tom launched at his head before winking at Desi. He took a bite of the muffin before directing his next words to her with a wink. "You two should really not wrestle around so much at night. We were below you and let me tell ya, it kept me awake."

Desi knew she turned five shades of red, and she was about to come back at him when her nephew Kevin, who had spent the night last night, looked at her in wonder. "You know how to wrestle Aunt Desi? Can you teach me?"

Robert waited for the laughter to die down before answering Kevin for Desi, earning him a glare from her. "Oh, I don't think I'd ask her to teach you. By the sound of things, she kept getting pinned. Isn't that right... Uncle Tom?"

She heard Tom laughing quietly from beside her and shake her head as a chuckle started to bubble up out of her own throat. This was going to be a really long day.


	26. Turkey And Surprises

As Desi was pulling on her jeans, she heard a faint groan come from the bed and bit back a chuckle. She heard the bed linens rustle and looked over to see Tom sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it?"

She grinned as she pulled a t-shirt over her head. "A little after four I think."

Tom gave another louder groan and she let her snicker be heard. "Bloody hell! Come back to bed, baby. It's too early to be getting dressed."

Desi shook her head as she walked over to sit on the edge of the bed and put her shoes on. She heard more rustling then felt Tom's arms come around her middle as she saw his long legs appear on either side of hers. "I can't. It's Thanksgiving. I have to go help Gran with the baking."

She felt Tom yawn against her shoulder before he placed a kiss on her neck. "Come back to bed and I'll give you something to be thankful for."

Desi felt her blood pressure escalate at the thought of what that statement implied as she gently extricated herself from his grasp. She turned and gave him a quick kiss before he could drag her onto the bed with him. "As much as that appeals to me, and believe me it does, I have to go. Now, go back to sleep. I'll wake you before the parade starts so you can watch with the others."

He grunted out what she assumed was agreement as she quietly opened the bedroom door and let herself out.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi watched Gran roll out the dough for the pies and wondered what she has on her mind. She hadn't said much since they had met in the kitchen, mostly working silently. She assumed she'd get around to saying whatever it was in her own time, and made myself useful slicing apples. As Desi figured, she finally broke her silence a few minutes later.

"Have you given any thought to what you'll do when Tom is ready to head back to London?"

Desi sighed and shook her head as she grabbed another bag of apples from the pantry. "Nope, sure haven't. It's not like I was expecting any of this. I suppose right now I'm just coasting along. I don't really want to give it much thought. I know I'll miss him when he leaves. Other than that? I don't want to dwell on it."

Gran nodded as she laid the pie crust in the pan, smoothing it out before crimping the edges. These were Desi's favorite moments, just her and Gran in the kitchen, working in tandem. 

"Well, you don't have to miss him, do you? I mean, you could go with him."

Desi looked up from what she was doing to see her grandmother looking at her. "No, I can't. We've had this discussion already, remember? Where's all of this coming from?"

Gran sighed as she slid the pie into the oven and set the timer. She walked over to sit across from Desi at the table. She reached across with one old hand, taking the knife from Desi's and laying it on the table before taking her hand in hers. 

"I know we've discussed it, but I don't want to see you lose something good, and honey, Tom is something good."

Desi shook her head and gave her a small grin. "If it's meant to be, it will be."

Gran just shook her head as about the same time they heard the front door open and shut, then Hester was walking into the room ahead of Elmer. Desi heard footsteps running down the stairs before Tom appeared in shorts and a t-shirt. He shook hands with Elmer before kissing Hester and Gran each on the cheek. Desi got a full kiss as he leaned down and smiled at me.

"What are you doing up? I thought you went back to sleep."

He shook his head, chuckling as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Well, darling, there was a cold spot in our bed, and I couldn't get back to sleep without you, so I'm going for a run. That should take the edge off the early morning frustration I'm feeling."

Desi snickered and leaned up to whisper back to him, fully aware that everyone in the room was watching them. "Well, if that doesn't work, perhaps a nap later will help?" 

She heard him give a soft groan and snickered louder as he backed away from her with a look of pure lust in his eyes, although when he turned around to face everyone else, there was only a look of innocence there. With a quick goodbye, he was out the door into early morning darkness. Elmer got shooed out of the kitchen by Gran as she went to get their dad up, leaving Desi and Hester alone. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes before Hes turned to Desi with a frown. 

"Are you ok with Elmer being here this year? I know you two dated, but... "

Desi chuckled. "Hester, we dated once. It's fine, really. Elmer and I just weren't going to work as a couple. I'm sure he's a great guy, but I'm fine with him being here with you." Hester nodded with a look of relief as Desi grinned at her. "So, it's getting serious between you two? You don't usually invite men your dating to a family meal."

Hester elbowed Desi, making her snicker as she rolled her eyes and blushed. "Your guy is coming too, don't forget."

Desi snorted as she got the turkey out of the fridge and start preparing it for baking. "Yeah, well, I didn't have much say about that, since he's a paying guest and all."

Hester gave her sister a look before coming over to sling an arm around her shoulders at the sink. "I'm really happy for you and Tom, you know. He makes you happy like I've never seen you."

Desi blew out a breath and smiled at her, lifting a brow. "Well, let's just hope that doesn't end when he leaves."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Desi's father tapped the edge of his glass with his knife, getting everyone's attention. She grinned as she knew what was coming: their dad's annual Thanksgiving toast. The kids were being rambunctious at the kid's table in the kitchen, not paying the adults any mind at all as their dad waited for everyone to stop talking and look his way. He looked serious, and Desi began to wonder if this would be his usual joking toast when he started to speak and she herself was left speechless.

"My grandparents opened Humphries House at the end of World War II, and it's been a bed and breakfast ever since, but it's also been our home. This old house has seen a lot of loving, a lot of tears, a lot of sadness. It's also seen its share of prosperity and hard times, in equal measure. Your mother and I raised all of you here, as mama and daddy raised me. All three of you kids were born in this house." He looked at each of his children with unshed tears in his eyes and Desi's heart ached for whatever he was going through with these memories. "Your mother died in this house, right upstairs in our bedroom, as did my daddy in his." She felt Tom squeeze her hand under the table as her dad went on talking. "When my daddy died, I took over his place as the man of the house. It was a burden I didn't take lightly, but I took it gladly, knowing that mama needed the help to run the B&B. It's similar to what Desi is going through now, with my failing health. I know the stress it puts on a body, believe me." He stopped to gather his thoughts, heaving a quiet sigh before continuing. "I'm telling you all this for a reason." He looked over at Robert and winked before grinning. "I'm not just a rambling old man, honest." He looked at Desi and the sadness on his face took her breath away. "I never wanted this for you, Des. You shouldn't have to feel beholden to this pile of wood and nails out of family duty."

Desi leaned forward to cut him off. "Daddy, I don't feel... "

He waved a hand to silence her. "I know what you're going to say, darlin, and thank you for it, but it's not necessary." He looked at Gran as she took his hand and squeezed it. "Your Gran and I have decided to sell Humphries House. It will go on the market at the start of the new year."


	27. Plot Twist

Desi stared in shock at her dad as Scott and Hester did the same. You could have heard a pin drop after their father's impressive announcement, and she for one knew that she was at a loss for words. Even the kids quieted down as if sensing something huge was going down in the next room. Hester looked at Desi and gave her a nod as if to say since she was the oldest, she had the floor. Desi took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to center herself before speaking.

"Dad... if this is because you think I resent being here and helping out, it's not necessary to go to this extreme. It's fine, really. I don't mind helping out at all, and it seems a little sudden to just put the house up for sale, without even consulting any of us kids... "

Their father held up a hand for silence, giving her a look that quieted her immediately. She knew that look all too well, as did her brother and sister. She'd overstepped and was about to hear about it. He turned his head and looked at each of our guests, leaving Tom and Elmer for last before speaking.

"If everyone would be so kind as to give us a few minutes to ourselves, I would appreciate it. Dessert will be served as soon as we get some things straight. Tom, Elmer, you two can stay if you like, since you both are involved with my girls."

Soon, everyone with the exception of the three kids, dad, Gran, Emily, Tom, and Elmer had left, Robert going so far as to take the kids outside to play. She felt Tom turn in his chair and drape an arm across the back of hers, his fingers massaging her neck. She watched her dad rub his temples before speaking so low that at first, she had a hard time hearing him.

"When your mother died, I wanted to sell out, move far away from the memories of her, but I figured out with the help of mama that running away wouldn't solve anything, that her memory would be with me wherever I went. Then I had my heart attack. Let me tell you, that scared the dickens out of me. And again, I wondered what I was holding onto this place for. You see, I never wanted this house, or me, to be a burden for anyone, especially you kids. The last few weeks, well, I... "

Gran interrupted with a smile on her face. "The last few weeks, your dad has been keeping company with Jenny Fremont."

Hester gave a snort of surprised laughter as Scott and Desi continued to stare at their dad in shock. "Wait... you have a girlfriend?"

Her dad looked at Desi and chuckled and she could hear a snicker coming from Tom but she ignored him. "Well, at my age, I think it's more appropriate to call her a companion, but yes, I have a lady friend. You all know Jenny. She's been in and out of this house for years."

Desi rolled her eyes and gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Yeah, she was mom's best friend. She babysat us when you and mom went out." She sat up straighter, ignoring the warning squeeze Tom gave her neck. "So because  _Jenny_ says so, you're going to sell this place? Take away all our memories?"

Gran cut Desi off, angrily waving a teaspoon in her direction. "You better watch your tongue and your tone, young lady! No, Jenny didn't suggest it, but it's a fine idea your father and I both decided on. There's a nice little house open in the retirement community on the edge of town. We're going to move there. We're both getting too old to deal with this place. Besides all that, this house isn't holding the memories, darlin. Your heart does that."

Desi stood up suddenly, knocking her chair to the floor. "I have to have some air... I need to think. I just need time to think."

Before anyone could say anything, she was out of the room and running out the front door. She could hear Tom calling her name but she didn't stop until she pulled the barn door shut behind herself and climb up into the hayloft. Desi sank down and buried her face in her knees, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, she heard the big barn door squeaking as someone opened then closed it behind themselves. She didn't lift her head until she saw Tom's shoes come into view in front of her own. He sat down beside her and took her into his arms, rocking her and whispering in her ear. Desi didn't realize she was crying until he wiped the tears from her face with his fingertips.

"Don't cry, darling. It will all be ok, I promise."

She shook her head and lifted it from where he was cradling her against his chest to look him in the eyes. "Don't say that, Tom. I mean, he's cheating on my mother, for god's sake!"

Almost as if he couldn't help himself, Tom chuckled before wincing as she smacked him on the arm. "Now, Desi, sweetheart, you can't be serious. Your mum has been gone for quite some time. It's hardly cheating on her."

She rolled her eyes, realizing quickly that her theatrics and need for drama would not be helped along by her boyfriend. "You know what I mean." Desi sighed and raked a hand through her hair. "It's just all been too much. First, you show up with your big blue eyes, saying you love me, and making me admit that I love you too. Then, dad announces that he's selling the house, then caps it off by announcing that he has a companion. I mean, you have to admit, that's a lot to take in."

He chuckled as he moved her around until she was sitting on his lap with her head buried in his neck. "You want to know the first thought I had when your dad made his announcement?" He waited for her to nod before he continued. "The first thing I thought was, "Finally, I'll get her all to myself. We'll be able to start our own life together."

Desi lifted her head to look at him and found him already looking at her. "You did?"

He nodded before kissing her on the forehead. "Oh yes. I know it's selfish, but I really don't want to return to London alone. I want... no, strike that. I _need_  you with me, Des. I firmly believe that our story is just waiting to be written. Who else is better equipped to do that than you?"

She gave him a lopsided grin before stealing a kiss. "Well, then. I suppose I shouldn't disappoint my  _companion_. I wonder if I can get an aisle seat?"

He gave her a look of pure joy before laughing out loud. "You mean it, darling?"

She nodded slowly and took a deep breath, preparing to jump feet-first into the unknown. "Yeah. I'm going back to London with you when you go. I'm going home."


	28. First Class And No Regrets

"Are you alright, darling? Need anything?"

Desi smiled at Tom as he took his seat beside her on the plane, buckling himself in as they prepared for take-off.

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

He just smiled and nodded, settling in for the long flight. She sighed as she turned to look out the window beside her. He'd been nothing but supportive, even lengthening his stay after his friends all left to help her and her family pack up and go through years and years of memories. He'd endured hours of listening to all of them walk down memory lane, laughing with them at the antics of the three kids that grew up in that house, and crying with them at the losses they as a family had been dealt. 

Desi lost count of the times that she told him he could go on without her and that she would join him in London when they were through, but he had just smiled and gave her a kiss or a hug and told her no. He was firm that his place was with her during this time and he wouldn't hear any more about it. Here they were, two days before Christmas, flying back to London. She shook her head as something occurred to her.

"Tom! I don't even know if I have an apartment to go back to! I completely forgot to call the building manager."

Tom just chuckled and leaned over to kiss her on the nose, something he did when she said or did something he found adorable. "Darling, of course, you have a flat. I had Luke check in with the manager a couple weeks ago to make sure everything was in order. Not that it would have mattered anyway."

Desi lifted a brow at that. "And just why not? I need somewhere to stay, don't I?"

He snickered before lacing their fingers together and laying them on his thigh. "Well, yes, Desi, of course. I just thought that perhaps... well, I think soon we'll be ready to talk about moving in together." He looks down at their hands for a moment before lifting his eyes back to hers. "I'm ready now, actually, but I understand that you need time to adjust to your new life here and all that. Perhaps when you are ready though, we could look for a house. That way, you could have an office to write and I could have a study, maybe a big backyard for the children... "

Desi choked on a laugh. "Woah! Where did the children come from?"

It was Tom's turn to laugh. "Well, my imagination for right now, but I assume, when the time comes for them, they'll come from the usual source."

She cleared her throat and glanced toward the window. "Yes, well, let's shelve that discussion for later."

Tom just laughed and nodded. "Yes, of course, Desi."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Six Months Later_

Tom got his way, just not when he wanted it. Desi rubbed her stomach as she walked down the hall of their new home, looking in each open doorway until she found Tom in the nursery, painting the walls a sunny yellow.

"Tom, have you by any chance seen my reading glasses? I can't find them anywhere."

Tom snickered as he laid the roller down and walked over to her, reaching out and pulling her glasses from where they had been perched on top of her head. He leaned in for a kiss as she sighed and put them on her face. "Was there anything else I can help you with, darling?"

Desi snorted as she shook her head. "No, that was it. I swear, not only am I as big as a house, but I'm losing my mind as well."

Tom arched a brow at her as he looked down from his considerable height. "I'll thank you to not call the future mother of my children fat." He leaned down to speak to her stomach, which was getting bigger every day. "She didn't mean it. Mummy's just cross because she hasn't eaten in half an hour." 

Desi smacked him on the head as he laughed loudly. "Thomas Hiddleston, I swear, you are so mean to me!"

He sobered and pulled her into his arms to give her a deep kiss. When he let her have oxygen, he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "I would never and could never be mean to my wife."

Desi snickered as she ran her hands through his hair. "Well, I'm not your wife yet."

He lifted his head from her shoulder to smirk at her. "Yeah, about that... "

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Six Months Later_

"I can't believe I let him talk me into this."

Hester chuckled as Gran handed Desi her bouquet of flowers. "Oh come on, now. You can't tell me that you aren't thrilled with the way things have worked out. You have your beautiful baby girl Bella, and you are about to marry the man of your dreams at your childhood home. How can you not be happy and excited about the way life is turning out?"

Desi grinned, nodding around a wave of emotion. Hester was right. She had everything she had ever wanted. She had a child, and most of all, she had Tom. He had managed to talk the new owners of the B&B into letting them have the house for the wedding and reception, how she didn't know, because she was honestly afraid to ask how much it had cost him. He had also flown his parents and sisters to Georgia for the wedding, along with his best man and his wife. Ben had argued, saying that he could pay his own way, but much like everyone else, he eventually agreed. Everyone we loved and cared for was here with us today, and for that, I was eternally grateful.

After the ceremony, which was held in Gran's barn, we had the reception in the dining room of the old house. Desi had nursed and put Bella to bed in her old room, shedding a tear or two in the process, at just how perfect that moment was. Presently, they were all in the dining room, getting ready to cut the cake, when Tom tapped his champagne glass with a fork to get everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll just give me a moment to try to express how happy I am." He looked down at Desi and the love shining in his eyes along with unshed tears was overwhelming. "Who would have thought that I could find the one I was looking for when I least expected it?" He shook his head and chuckled quietly. "I suppose that's the way it works, isn't it? Well, anyway, I want to thank you all for coming today, for being here with Desi and myself. It truly means everything to both of us. Now, then... " He paused as Ben handed him an envelope. "I have a special wedding gift for my wife, and I think now is a perfect time to give it to her."

He handed her the envelope and Desi tore it open, staring in shock at the paper she found inside. She looked up at Tom to see him smiling at her as he nodded his head. "Tom? Is this... "

"Yes, darling. It's the deed to this house. Your father gave me a very good deal." Desi felt the tears starting to drip down her cheeks as Tom took her in his arms. "I know how much this place means to you, darling. Probably more than anyone else. I thought we could use it for a vacation home, have Hester run it for us when we aren't here... well, all of that can be figured out later, but for right now, yes, Desi, it's ours."

As everyone applauded and cheered, Desi just stared up at her husband in wonder. She didn't know how, but every time she thought she was at her happiest, he came along and showed her that it could be better.


End file.
